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[Name: Jimmy Halstead]
[Level: 13 (99.02%)]
[Age: 1]
[X-Gene: 1 (+)]
[Abilities: Accelerated Healing, Feral Senses, Enhanced Smell, Advanced Hand to Hand Combat, Bladed Weapon and Claw Mastery]
[Equipment: Memory Adamantium Alloy]
[Strength: 60]
[Agility: 60]
[Mental: 40]
[Available Points: 0]
[Skill Points: 1]
[System Note: One skill point granted every ten levels. Skill points may be used to evolve X-Gene traits or unlock latent mutations.]
[Techniques: Silat]
[Random Instance Activation Scroll: 1]
[Lottery Draws: 1]
[Lonely Mountain Anchor: 1]
[Mutant Plane Coordinates: 1]
Jimmy looked over the long list of rewards.
A surprising number of ones.
All things considered, the outcome was solid.
Especially the pet.
Even if he had no idea when the eagle would be capable of carrying him in flight, having a bonded companion still mattered.
With that thought, Jimmy took out the contract scroll and placed the dragon-scaled Great Eagle egg on top of it.
A drop of blood followed.
Crack! Crack!
The shell split open.
A red-feathered hatchling emerged, sparse down clinging to its body.
As it pecked at the eggshell, its growth accelerated at a visible pace.
By the time the shell was gone, a massive eagle stood before him.
Crimson feathers.
Two backward-curving horns atop its head.
A presence that felt closer to a dragon than a bird.
Jimmy stared.
This made absolutely no sense.
Since when did eating an eggshell turn a newborn into a full-grown apex predator?
He sighed.
"All right. I have no idea how I am supposed to feed something this big. One meal probably costs three pigs. You are Horus now. But seriously, what am I supposed to do with you? Send you back to Middle-earth."
He reached out and patted the eagle's head.
A panel snapped open.
[Pet: Horus]
[Species: Dragon-Scaled Great Eagle]
[Abilities: Adaptive Size, Dragonflame, Eagle Cry, Colossal Strength]
"Adaptive Size, Horus, Shrink, As small as possible."
The eagle blinked.
In the next instant, it rapidly reduced in size.
---
Jimmy continued deeper into the forest with a red bird perched on his shoulder.
Barely a foot in length, but unmistakably a predator.
Sharp talons.
Hooked beak.
Eyes filled with focused intelligence.
This was Horus at minimum size.
After examining the surroundings and climbing a tree to check the date on his phone, Jimmy confirmed the time discrepancy.
He had spent over four months in Middle-earth.
Only ten days had passed here.
That was manageable.
Explaining it to Tony Stark would not be.
His armor and blades had been reforged entirely.
Without Tony's hidden failsafe, killing Smaug would never have been so clean.
But if Tony found out about the instance world, there was no guarantee he would stay away.
Jimmy was not worried about Tony seeing it.
He was worried about what Tony might build afterward.
Tony Stark's creations scaled with his understanding of the universe. The wider the world he witnessed, the more dangerous his inventions became.
And the last thing Jimmy needed was another Ultron situation born from curiosity.
Jimmy's real concern was not curiosity.
It was fear.
What if Tony built a device that punched holes through realities?
What if he accidentally opened a door to a universe no one should ever touch?
That was the danger.
And yet, without Tony's help, Jimmy would never have gained that powerful contingency in the first place.
As Iron Man's friend, not having a Stark-approved backup plan was a waste.
Almost irresponsible.
Jimmy exhaled.
"One step at a time."
While he worried, someone else had already noticed.
At Stark Industries, an alert had gone live.
"Mr. Stark," a voice reported. "Jimmy's phone signal reappeared. Same location where it vanished, about ten days ago."
"Satellite coverage?" Tony Stark asked.
"The forest canopy is too dense, Visual confirmation is unlikely."
Tony sighed.
"Fine! Keep monitoring the area, I really underestimated that kid. He somehow stripped every tracker off his armor."
---
Back in the forest, Jimmy encountered a brown bear.
It growled, but the sound carried hesitation.
"URRRRRRRRR!!!"
Before Jimmy could react, a sharp cry cut through the air.
Horus launched from his shoulder.
"Horus, Easy."
Too late.
The small crimson eagle struck, claws turning into a blunt shove at the last moment.
Despite being no larger than a rooster, the impact sent the bear rolling away in a flurry of dirt and leaves.
The bear whimpered and curled in on itself.
Jimmy recognized it immediately.
The same bear he had subdued with his fists when he first arrived.
Horus circled once, then returned to Jimmy's shoulder.
Its expression was unmistakably smug.
The bear's thoughts were equally clear.
Getting beaten by a human was bad enough.
Getting beaten by a red bird was humiliating.
"All right," Jimmy said. "If fate brought us together again, you might as well help me. Carry me out. I am done playing survivalist."
---
A week later, Jimmy emerged from the wilderness.
Over those seven days, he confirmed three things.
First. Horus did not obey any known law of energy conservation.
For something that large, it ate surprisingly little.
Second, Horus could speak. It simply chose not to. When asked why, the answer was simple. "You never asked."
Third. Tony had planted monitoring software on his phone and it worked.
Tony had even called once, casually asking what kind of red bird was sitting on Jimmy's shoulder.
That explained everything.
With the instance cleared and no loose ends left behind, Jimmy decided not to delay any longer.
Better to go home before Nick Fury or others started asking questions.
Thumb out, pack on his back, Jimmy waited by the roadside.
Trucks were usually willing to help someone who looked like he had walked out of a disaster zone. A ride to the nearest train station was enough.
The return trip passed smoothly.
When Jimmy exited the station, someone was already waiting.
"Jimmy, over here."
Happy waved.
Horus fluttered down and landed neatly on Jimmy's shoulder.
Happy blinked.
"Wow! A red eagle, which is a first for me, By the way, the boss has been worried sick. You might want to swing by Stark Industries."
"Later," Jimmy said. "First I need a shower. Then I have to send my manuscript to the publisher, I will see Tony tomorrow."
He paused.
"By the way, where did Stark Tower move to?"
Happy laughed.
"You know, Tony, the tallest building in the city. He literally added extra floors to the old tower because it was not dramatic enough. It is the tallest structure in New York now."
"That tracks," Jimmy said. "Half the city will be talking about Stark Industries for the next six months."
He nodded to himself.
Tony Stark was not just a genius engineer. On the business side, he was just as terrifying.
At least it made things easier for Pepper Potts when Tony decided to behave.
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