“I know you’re there, T’Challa. You may as well come on out.”

Steve Rogers’ progress through the jungle hadn’t stopped. While his senses were only human-keen, his spiritual ones were finely honed, and his psychic ones weren’t bad, either. The Black Panther’s stealth skills were superlative, especially combined with the technology in his suit, but this wasn’t a test of sight or hearing, but relative awareness on other levels.

T’Challa needed to be a generation older to actually surprise him.

Steve felt the leap coming from behind, and his stride shifted position without actually changing his pace or stride. Razored claws screeched across the Shield slung on his back, and he just kept going as T’Challa completed his leap, landed, and rolled off to the side, waiting to see the reaction.

“Anti-Metal claws in a poly-carbide sheath so they don’t affect the rest of your uniform. I wondered why you had a coating on your gauntlets and suit. Accidental contact would destroy most of your uniform,” Steve noted, continuing forwards as the younger man looked after him. “You probably deduced the Anti-Metal would have no effect on my Shield, but you were wondering about the laen-sheathed adamantium gossamer in my underarmor. Well, now you know.”

“That is a definite improvement over your past attire, General,” T’Challa acknowledged, breaking into a lope to catch up with the older man, sheathing his claws as he did so, since they would be of little to no use. “It is not general issue to Shielders, General. Did Tony make it for you?”

“No, actually. Tony’s strength is in power armor, not passive light armor that retains agility,” Steve replied calmly. “Dynamo made a set for me and my wife, then submitted the designs to the Great Bear for general dispersal. If you had Shielders of your own, you’d know that.”

T’Challa pivoted out in front of the older man in a fighting crouch, and Steve obligingly came to a halt. He didn’t go for his Shield, watching the monarch of Wakanda calmly. “You want to take an open hand fight against me, T’Challa?” he asked gently.

Despite himself, the Black Panther smiled under his mask. “We did promise to give it our all, did we not? And we have not had many chances, to spar, General.” His hands came up in the clawed forms of the Wakandan Panther style. “Let us see who has the better armor, then?”

General Rogers had no expression as he settled into a fist and palm style, but as he did, ki seemed to swirl around him, settling into an ominous and overwhelming synthesis of waiting, brooding speed and power. As T’Challa’s gauntlets crackled with ready voltage, a tight glow encapsulated the Patriot’s gloves, empowered Sun Strikes ready to go off.

They stepped together almost in tandem, their reflexes exceeding their speed of movement, one flexible and catlike, the other precise and almost mechanically... off. As if his movements should be precise and perfect, and yet somehow were not, and in being so were impossible to truly predict accurately.

Their hands came together, flurried in a whirlwind of feints and light clashes, barely touching as they were anticipated and deflected. Insulation dealt with the voltage from the one, vibranium absorbed the discharge and impacts from the other.

Obviously, they could each see the blows that were coming, and it became a more subtle contest of strength and speed... which T’Challa quickly realized he was going to lose, as the Patriot was his superior in both, as well as in skill. Still, he trusted in his vibranium armor to absorb any blows, a property his opponent’s armor did not have, and since he was not using his Shield, clearly General Rogers had no advantage...

There was a whirlwind of blows, hands striking against armor, driving deep. The General’s armor was resilient, but it could not absorb the entire force of the Panther’s strikes, nor could his Crystal Ki. Even if it was but a small sliver, it was enough to wear the older man down over time...

The fist that drove into T’Challa’s breastbone and discharged informed him otherwise.

The blow was devastating, catching him right as he was coming in. Trusting his armor, he had not moved with the blow, and the impact went right into his bones. He felt his sternum crack, the shock going through his limbs, and even as he was trying to reverse his momentum, the second and third blows were coming out, psychic lights rising up on them as they did. The terrifying force of the punches went right through his armor on his right and left, powering over and past his desperate, off-balance blocks, and his ribs shattered under the impacts.

He staggered back and fell, gasping at the agony of the broken bones in his chest as he knelt in pain. “How?” he had to gasp.

“T’Challa,” the Patriot replied in a chiding tone. “How long have we known about vibranium? Wakanda might be the only ones with enough of it to make a full bodysuit of it, but that hardly means we can’t study a means to bypass it. My first strikes were merely tests to figure out the resonance of your suit, and then I just cancelled out its energy absorption, leaving you with just a meshweave suit that isn’t a lot of protection.”

“Ah. Thank you for revealing the weakness, General. I will attempt to cover it in the future,” T’Challa gasped. “You have won this fight fairly. I concede.”

Steve Rogers nodded and continued on his way. The piece they were looking for should be over there, if that imbalance he was sensing was any indication...

He smiled slightly as he recalled the dummy wrapped in a vibranium breastplate made by Dynamo, and her directive to him to somehow damage the dummy through the force-absorbing metal.

He had been aware that Sama Rantha knew how to do it, so it was possible. Still, it had taken him two years of daily practice to figure out the technique, and he actually had to ask her to make more vibranium armor sets, just to make sure he could adjust his strikes to each one.

The fact Dynamo could Energize aluminum into its Force Thunder Isotope was a rather closely-kept fact, need to know and spoken word only, simply because it broke Wakanda’s monopoly on the metal.

He had naturally taught his wife Peggy the technique, as well as Red and Blue, and his Russian counterpart General Dmitri, the Red Star, who were all in turn quietly spreading it to all the Shields.

Vibranium was no longer the ultimate armor material, one that could not be bypassed. Perhaps it was more broadly useful in lighter applications than adamantium, but it was no longer invincible.

He reflected on the report he’d received. The ship from the future, brought by the Guardians of the Galaxy, had knowledge of an alloy called dargonite that could punch through adamantium. That was going to surprise the people too proud of the prized metal...

--------

Death won the Contest, Shamrock’s enhanced luck securing the swing piece. However, it was basically irrelevant.

The key fact was that the Grandmaster wanted to get into Death’s Realm and game with Her there, eventually winning and ejecting all Elders from Her domain. It didn’t matter if the Collector was swapped back to the living for him now, as he’d just be ejected later.

The fact he had entered a game with Death was the key point. Now there was only to succeed in the afterlife, which eventually he would, and the Elders would be free of Her.

And then, then it would be my turn.

The Spearhead on Function slid out of my Rod, the black skull impressed into the Herculium glowing a bit blacker than normal.

Waiting... I could almost see the skeletal smile beyond it. The Elders were going to get out, and then they were going to die again...

I looked at my fingers, which were starting to get a hint of color to them, instead of their radiation-proof Caucasian paleness.

A golden color.

Kismet was an Exemplar Lite of the Golden Child race, which had a whole two members in existence. One was her, and the other had to be Adam Warlock... who was also the Magus.

I had killed the Magus while carrying Kismet’s Mimicked Template with me. As they were basically super-evolved humans, that had given me the right to take the Golden Child Racial Advancements. Actually, it almost was like I was forced to do so, as the energy that made up the Magus adhered to my acquired Template like it was supposed to be there.

Adam Warlock was the Exemplar of the two. Genetic Perfection, indeed, favored child of Law and Chaos, a triumph of Life, basically born to become an Elder of the Universe.

Now dead, and his power, by fluke of copying his... what? Sister, daughter, cousin, twin? I had no idea how to regard this development. Whatever, his power was inside me, and making my borrowed Kismet powers... permanent.

=========

Dynamo of the High Guard, Warlock of the Widow in the Web, The Sage of Focus, Courtier of Death

Neutral Good Female Augmented Powered Human/8 (Exemplar)*, Base Spider Totem Template, Golden Child/3

Ur-Priest/1, Alchemist/3, Mystic Theurge/9 (Ur/Sorc), Hierophant/2, Warshaper/5; Wizard/1, Learned Sorceress/1, Arcane Theurge/10 (Sorc10/Wiz6), Archmage/3 (Wizard), Craft Theurge/5 (Alc/Wiz); Arcane Fist/4, Minstrel/1, Lyric Theurge/5 (Wizard/Minstrel), Theurge of the Arts (Alch/Min)/10

Strength: (14) 18->48/54 [66/69**]* Height: 6’0

Dexterity: 18->48 [50,+9**]* Weight: 210 lbs.

Constitution: (16) 18->48 [50, +9**]* Hair: Black (Auburn)

Intelligence: 20->69 (73 Cold)*** Eyes: Green

Wisdom: (12) 18->47*** Age: 22

Charisma: (12) 18->49***

Health: 187

Soak: 963

Movement: 315’

**Ultra Nova Core Rank/Mutant Core: 9 (05%)/ 300 PP (fixed, integrated)

Arcane Pool/Ki: 77 (3+ ki (25) + Song (49))

Warlock Rank: 10 (12 w Chasuble)

Theurgic Caster Levels: Ur-Priest/10 (74); Sorceress/20 (41); Wizard/20 (41); Minstrel/16 (37) (NOG reduced Slots), Alchemist/20 (41), (+12 CL all (Human/8*), +2 Human to Alchemist Level))

Notable Talents/Traits: Naturally Focused, Dauntless; Favored by Fate, Spell Affinity, Magical Tradition, Undead Slayer, Weird Scientist, Valiant Reputation; Soul of Le Fey; Heavy Gravity Training/4; Born Eldritch Blade; Slayer: Ninja, Tong, Werewolf, Skrull/Dire Wraith, Brood, Fiends, Mutates, Constructs (robots), Gene-born (acquired); Patient, Protective; Born to Shadows, Seductive, Manhunter, Independent; Widow of the Red Room; True Believer, Faithful; Romantic, Artistic; Sealed Identity; Master of Four Dragons (Sun, Moon, Shadow, Ocean); Master of Night Rose; Scholarly, Dedicated Researcher; Ice Queen, Organized; Silver Tongue, Perfect Pitch, Musical, Gifted Vocalist; Master of Kiai-jitsu

Templated Powers: Poison Resistance and Acquired Immunity; Radiation Immunity; Perfect Balance; Enhanced Speed and Jumping; Impact Resistance; Enhanced Climbing

Warlock Powers (Spider Totem Pact, Active): Bio-Electric Generation*; Covalent Bonding/Repulsion*; Danger Sense*; Strength Increase*; Dexterity Increase*; Constitution Increase*; Speed Increase*; Reaction Time Increase*; Damage Reduction Increase*; Increased Healing Factor*; Manifest Eldritch Blade*

#Mutant Core Power*: Superspeed, Flight, Increased Reaction Time at Speed; Increased Invulnerability at Speed

Ultra Nova Core Powers: Enhanced Strength IX, Enhanced Invulnerability IX, Enhanced Energy Absorption IX, Enhanced Flight IX, Enhanced Energy Projection IX, Enhanced Vitality IX, Enhanced Reaction Time IX

Widow Training: Enhanced Healing, Enhanced Memory, Combat Instincts, Fast Learner, Steady Mindset, Increased Longevity

Golden Child Racial Powers: Regenerative Adaptive Cocoon; Rapid Learning; Cosmic Energy Attunement; Cosmic Strength; Cosmic Flight; Cosmic Invulnerability; Cosmic Energy Manipulation; Cosmic Matter Manipulation; Cosmic Vitality

True Exemplar Template (Human/8*) Powers: Exemplar Foundation Stats (+12); Exemplar Vitality (Health and Soak); Blessed by Fate (Insight Bonuses); Blessed by Chaos (Luck Bonuses); Exemplar Talent (Competence bonuses to Skills); Exemplar Resistances (Energy); Exemplar Defenses (Physical); Exemplar Speed (triple all modes)

Acquired Powers: Immune to Fire and Cold extremes, affinity for Fire and Cold Magic; Spellcaster (Weaver Magic); Pheromonal Control; Sunstone Attunement (Crystal Bones); Rune-Carved Bones (+5 to Physical Stats**, Unbreakable); Godstone Attunement; Ultra Nova Core; Beaubier Core (integrated)#, Inspired Intellect+2 (Grand Discovery), Second Sorcerer Bloodline (Dark Phoenix, Fire/Cold), Prepared Archmage (Wizard Spells); Fey Caster; Asgardian Sorcery; Cosmic Awareness

Spells per day: ...

================

I hadn’t even noticed the advancement to Human/7 until my Intelligence, the last Stat to suddenly rise, popped. I had thought that I was coming to terms with my Awareness of the dead, and I was... by dint of reinforcing my understanding and personality.

Point by point, enhancement by enhancement, the Lesser Exemplar of Human/6 was improved to Exemplar Major, Human/7, which I’d had no idea even existed, and then to Human/8, True Exemplar...