Having spoken with Tony about his family 'friend' and haven given evidence of his betrayal the conversation died down. The Stark before us was drinking brandy now, his eyes glued to the table before him as he steepled his fingers in contemplation.
Susan and Twitch were sitting nearby as well, their eyes watching Tony as I began to play with my jacket a little.
"So Shaw and Obadiah have used my company to their own ends..."
"Yep. Sebastian Shaw has been manipulating his connection with Stark Industries to launder money, as far as I can tell. Obadiah has been making deals with terrorist organisations such as the one who had captured you."
Tony skulled his drink and stood up, walking over to the bar in the corner and grabbing a drink once more, stirring the ice in his cup as he glanced over his shoulder at me a few times.
"What do you want out of telling me this? I suppose you could be doing it because I am charming and good looking..."
"Don't get too full of yourself Tony. Not my type, by a long shot." I glanced over at Susan and smiled as Tony nodded his head and seemed to almost mentally give me a thumbs up.
"My pride is a little wounded, but that is fine.
He swirled the ice in his glass one last time before turning around, leaning against the bar in a pseudo-comfortable way. His eyes and expression were anything but comfortable however, a rough clinking noise resounding through the room as he set down his drink on the bar top. "Alright," His gaze was sharp, cutting through any pretence. "You're not here for flattery, and you sure as hell didn't dig this up just for my benefit. So, what do you want?"
I went to answer but was cut off by him once more. "Is it simply to expose them? To take them down? Or are we talking something bigger?"
Narrowing my eyes and sitting back in the chair I began to rapidly process the possibilities in this situation. I could simply ask him for a favour in the future, unspecified as to when it would come... This was a harsh request as it gave no finality to our cooperation and may make him think that I was going to pull him into something potentially harmful down the road. My second option was to request Shaw's and Obadiah's stake in Stark Industries, with the offer for him to buy some shares off of me if he feels uncomfortable. Or, there was a third option, simply tell him it was a free bit of information to usher in our company's cooperation with Stark Industries.
In the end, I decided that I wasn't generous enough to hand this over for free...
"I want them to fall so that my company, or more aptly, myself, can take over their shares."
He let out a slow breath, his posture easing slightly. It was as if speaking about shares and money was the least of his concern. Given how rich he was, it wasn't surprising, but his seeming increase in calm was a touch intriguing.
"If that is all you want for taking down these, assholes, then sure. The shares and capital will be yours when they're dealt with... Not that Sebastian even needs Stark Industries, he's got his own empire."
"Then that is settled. I hope to hear the good news. You can come meet me at Yggdrasil Interactive's Head Quarters if you have the time, or you can simply send over a representative to sign over the shares to me."
He straightened his posture and walked over to the couches, where I was just beginning to stand up. The drink in his hand twinkled in the low-light from the sunset, a purple and yellow hue washing the entire seating area in cool colours.
"That works for me. I would have it in contract, but that seems to interfere with your plans and probably wouldn't be for the best... Given the nature of Shaw's and Obadiah's betrayal."
I nodded, waving Susan and Twitch to follow. "It was good to meet you properly this time. I hope you continue to enjoy Star Wars, your inquisitor seems to be going well."
He smirked. "Of course it is! It's my character... Would you expect any less?"
I scoffed at his attitude and began walking away, the guards near the door opening it for me and my companions as Tony himself wistfully swirled his drink, gazing at all of our backs as we marched towards my limo.
...
After finishing at Tony's we headed for the local Airport, the Uchiha already haven prepared a rental private jet to get back to New York for us all. They had acclimated masterfully into modern society, especially after being given access to the internet and my games, of which, many were currently playing back at home.
Our travel was quick, unencumbered by baggage or worry. I had completed what I needed to out here and it had gone off without a hitch. Twitch was still over-energetic, trying to hug me every now, which naturally annoyed Susan to no end. The woman was certainly getting rather worked up given the lack of relationship we had... It made me question whether the kiss had actually effected her quite a bit the other day. Don't get me wrong, I was stupid to do it at that time, but one still had to wonder.
The limo came to a stop after an hour or two, the Uchiha members opening the doors for us and guiding us out. The jet was parked before us on the tarmac, the engines blaring rather loudly as we were set to immediately take off. All of us quickly boarded the plane, the darkness of night causing the lights of the city to truly shine as the plane began to take to the skies.
Staring out for a while I couldn't help but feel that I had been becoming distracted from the essence of my system. It was a game creation system yet real life had flooded all of my time with choices and issues... I wanted to go back to simply creating games for a time. Unfortunately, I had one more thing to do this night before I could refocus my mind.
The Custom Servant I had bought needed to be summoned, the points would go to waste if I didn't bring said servant out to play. And thus, I stood up and walked to a relatively open space inside the jet and pulled out the card that represented the purchased Servant.
Light spread out much like Twitch's summoning... Until it changed to a bleak, dull, fading sunlight that seemed almost neutered by the darkness of night around it. Gold turned off-orange and began to crack as black-gold hues seeped out from said cracks. Just as concern started to crawl up my throat all of the dramatic shifting of magic tightened and finally settled into a grim semblance of a summoning circle.
The sound of shattered glass echoed within the jet, Twitch and Susan watching on from the sidelines as my technological servant in particular was looking rather grim, almost saddened by the presence manifesting before me... My observations were cut short however as the summoning circle finally aligned properly.
A figure materialized, as though summoned from the very fabric of reality. Her golden hair, cut short, cascaded gracefully just beyond her shoulders, each strand glowing faintly in the dim light. Orange-gold eyes, heavy with sorrow, hazily gazed at the ground beneath her. Her silver armour, marred by countless cracks and imperfections, emitted an unsettling glow, an eerie blend of yellow and black, not merely a colour, but a suffocating presence. It was as though the very air vibrated with the cries of an entire world's worth of suffering, emotions seeping from her form like a distant storm, blending with the hopelessness that seemed to swirl around her.
Strapped to her back was a sword, its blade bearing the same fractured scars as her armour. A holy light leaked from the cracks, but the radiance was faint, struggling to exist against the overwhelming darkness surrounding it, almost as though it too were being consumed by the void.
She did not look up or even move, her body hanging in a crouch like a puppet with its strings cut. The unsettling glow roiled slowly as lights rippled over the interior. So she wasn't dead.
"Hello? Are you okay...?"
A twitch of the servant's fingers told me that my words had gotten through. More movement soon followed as the ruined figure's head rose to lock eyes with me. Twitch stood and began to radiate power, but I gestured for her to stop, my gut telling me that nothing malevolent was happening. Twitch acquiesced to my request but still had a summoned emoji in her hand, a middle finger that she held like a hammer.
"Where... Am I...?" The servant's voice, her voice, was torchy and wounded. Her eyes radiated deep unspoken agony and pain, her very emotional aura screaming out the untold bloodshed and horror witnessed.
"On a plane, heading towards New York City in America." I turned my tone soft and knelt down in front of her, the form of this servant appearing very fragile, though she most likely wasn't.
"P-people, are still alive...?" Bewildered she began standing up, her armour seamlessly following her movements without an ounce of sound.
First she observed us and then walked to a nearby window, where she looked out and saw thousands of warm lights radiating from homes and businesses below. Tears began to stream down her face as emotions altered across her aura.
"Yes. I believe this isn't the same world in which you came from." Sombreness spread through her once again but there was the glimmer of hope present.
"Now, let us complete the summoning ritual shall we...?" Her eyes widened and she came back before me, her eyes gazing over at Susan and Twitch, the latter staring back at her with glowing pink eyes and bright blue hair. Twitch seemed to have changed her appearance somehow.
Standing there I held my hand out and burned one of the command spells, the dot in the middle of my hand. "My name is Freya Bragisdottir, and I would be your master." The ritual began, the light flaring around my summoned servant intensifying. At first hesitance was felt from the woman, but it was struck down as she took a quick glance out of the window.
"I swear to be your Servant until you no longer need me, or want me... I swear this by the title of the King of the Dying Light and by my own name... Artoria Pendragon." Immense power flooded out from Artoria as our connection was amplified, another set of command spells appearing on my left hand, this time represented by swirling patterns, hundreds o r thousands of them.
'Holy fuck! She's very powerful!'
...
Within a tranquil tea room somewhere inside the Kamar-Taj a bald woman was peacefully sipping green tea as a sorcerer updated her on a future disciple of her's, Strange. The conversation was mostly plain, undaunting and relaxed.
This all changed however when a massive pulse of Chrono-energy surged through the planet and then suddenly disappeared. The bald woman immediately stood up, the tea dropping to the floor in a clattered mess.
"Ancient One!?" The man who had sat opposite her spoke with an uneven tone, worry causing his voice to quiver slightly.
She didn't answer at first, her senses reaching out to detect what had occurred. Alas, nothing could be felt however as the concern of the sorcerer only continued to worsen.
"There was a massive shift. I need to consult the Eye of Agamotto. Excuse me." No time was wasted as she quickly strode away, her energy much more concise and confined than her usual self... Something big had just happened.
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