Knock!
Knock!
Knock!
After knocking on the door, Peter waited for it to open, which did not take long.
Once it did, he saw an African-American man, someone he already knew due to the number of visits he had made to this place. Smiling at the man, Peter extended his hand for him to shake.
Another thing that always caught his attention was the clothing the man wore. It always reminded him of Scorpion from Mortal Kombat.
"Daniel. It's nice to see you," Peter said, shaking hands with one of the apprentices of the Master of the New York Sanctum.
"Although I'd like to chat, I was hoping to see the Ancient One."
"You're doing wonderfully, Mr. Parker, and she is waiting for you where she always does," Daniel said as he stepped aside, allowing Peter to enter.
"Thank you."
Walking away, Peter climbed the stairs and headed toward the room where he and the Ancient One usually met to chat. Once he reached it, he saw her reading a book with a cup of tea beside her.
As Peter entered, she made the book disappear, and another cup of tea appeared. Sitting down on the floor, he placed the guitar case he was carrying beside him.
"Madame."
"Peter. What brings you to the Sanctum Sanctorum today?"
"Although I'd like to say it's just for a chat, I'd be lying. I've come to ask for some of your mystical materials to improve my new invention, which has already been enhanced by Cassandra, who did a merely good job."
"Hey, my work was great, and I didn't break your axe," came a voice in his ear.
Ignoring the words of his number-one voyeur, Peter focused on the Ancient One.
"Interesting. May I see this invention of yours?"
Nodding, Peter picked up the guitar case and opened it, revealing the Leviathan Axe. He then placed it on the table, instantly drawing the Ancient One's attention.
"I forged this using the fragments of Excalibur. According to Cassandra, it should have required a special forge, but while I was working on it, I never encountered any difficulties."
"Interesting," she said while touching the axe. "I can detect several enchantments, along with others I recall being present on the sword. Apparently, they returned when you reforged the weapon. Perhaps."
"That could be because Cassandra imbued the axe with my blood and magic. Maybe that's why they returned, or perhaps it's because I tempered it with an element containing various radioactive and dimensional energies," Peter said, making the Ancient One stare at him for several seconds. "Don't worry. Just be careful when handling it."
"And tell me, what kind of improvements do you want me to make?"
"An elemental one. I want the axe to be able to use ice, or perhaps you have an object that could allow it to channel that element and be integrated into the weapon."
"I believe there is one particular item that has exactly what you're asking for."
"Perfect. How much will it cost me?"
"Surprisingly, nothing. It is a runestone made from several rare elements. The stone has been gathering dust, and it is a shame that stones like it are no longer used to create weapons. You rarely find blacksmiths of that caliber anymore, or competent apprentices who don't end up poking their own eyes out."
The Ancient One took a sip of her tea.
"There are several items of that nature in the storage room, but now they merely collect dust. This particular item may be far more useful to you than it is to me, especially since I do not use the element of ice, preferring others."
"That would be splendid, but are you sure I won't owe you anything?"
"Consider it a Christmas present," she said, making him nod. "You might as well place the axe through this portal."
As she spoke, the Ancient One opened a portal, and Peter placed the axe through it. Once he had done so, she opened another portal and disappeared through it.
For several minutes, Peter waited for her return, drinking his tea and reading one of the books she kept in the room.
After about five minutes, two portals appeared.
One opened where Peter had previously left the axe, from which the weapon emerged. The other appeared in the middle of the room, and the Ancient One stepped through it.
Once she had sat down, Peter closed the book and focused on the woman, who placed a stone engraved with a rune on the table.
The stone seemed strangely familiar to him.
Almost instantly, Peter remembered where he had seen something like it before, causing a brief wave of amazement and slight melancholy to wash over him.
"Quite a stone, with a rune engraved on it."
"This is why you came here in the first place."
"Interesting. Why did you take the axe if you were only going to bring the stone?"
"It was to measure the size of the rune and examine the spell on your weapon, allowing me to determine whether I needed to modify the axe or shrink the stone. It seems the latter was necessary. I noticed the slots along its side."
"Well, I wouldn't want you improving or modifying my axe without permission."
Peter examined the stone more carefully.
"Are you sure about this? That stone has everything I want, and the spell I think you're referring to is similar to Mjölnir's. I believe Cassandra knows who placed it there, but she refuses to tell me."
"Interesting. And regarding the stone, yes, I am certain. It contains a combination of Frozen Flames from Helheim and Frozen Frost. It was a gift from Shiva to one of the previous Masters for helping with certain matters."
The Ancient One glanced down at the runestone.
"This rune is surprisingly somewhat stronger than the others we possess. The previous Master who combined these elements intended to create a superior enchantment but failed somewhere in the process, leaving behind this. These elements should suit your axe."
She then began casting several spells, fusing the runestone with the axe.
Somewhat stronger? I highly doubt attacks delivered with this axe would be only somewhat stronger. Not to mention, she combined two incredibly powerful elements, yet the stone is categorized as merely a little more powerful, Peter thought to himself.
Once the rune was attached to one of the slots in the axe, ice rapidly spread across the entire weapon.
Seeing this, Peter expected the worst, but he was pleasantly surprised when the ice shattered, revealing that the axe had taken on a new design.
"Do you have somewhere we can test it?" Peter asked, staring in amazement at the weapon's new appearance.
Just as the Ancient One was about to conjure a portal to a suitable location, someone interrupted them.
It was one of Peter's least favorite people in the Sanctum, a fact that many already knew.
"Master, I have completed the mission," the man said while bowing slightly.
When he straightened, however, he noticed both Peter and the axe.
"Master, why is this primitive individual here with a mystical weapon? Only those connected to the mystic arts have the right to carry one."
"Mordo. It's good to see you," the Ancient One said calmly. "This gentleman came to chat, and the axe does not belong to us. It is his, forged by his own hands. I merely gave him one of the low-level runestones we had stored away as a Christmas present. There is nothing to worry about."
She rose calmly.
"We are about to test the weapon. Would you like to join us?"