Spider-Man Mayhem

[Third Person's PoV] 

Both Nightwing and Spider-Man mourned silently for a moment, their grief palpable as they stared at the blood dispersing in the ocean. Nightwing forced himself to look away from the grim scene, his feet moving with slow, deliberate kicks as he descended deeper and deeper into the water.

"Build him a grave down there… He deserves it," Spider-Man said softly, breaking the heavy silence between them.

"Hm, good idea," Nightwing replied grimly. "I'll carve it into the rocks with my bare hands if I have to."

The pressure of the water weighed heavily on him as he went deeper, every stroke a reminder of the ocean's vastness. The adventure he once craved now felt hollow, his only focus on retrieving the Vibranium meteorite fragment resting at the bottom of the ocean.

Then he saw it—a faint, purple glow illuminating the seabed. It pulsed ominously, standing alone amidst the darkness like a beacon. Nightwing flipped in the water, his movements fluid, and landed softly on the ocean floor.

Tapping the side of his mask, he spoke into the comms. "Are you guys seeing this?" His voice was hushed, almost reverent, as he studied the meteorite before glancing up to take in its full size.

The fragment was enormous—approximately 10 meters long and 16 meters wide.

"Uh huh…" came the multiple replies through the comms.

"I think we've overlooked one major issue," Nightwing said, his voice laced with concern as he circled the meteorite. "How the hell are we getting this thing inside the base? Much less carrying it back without drawing suspicion or getting caught?"

"Do you think we could ask the Ancient One to teleport it in?" Lizzy suggested. "I mean, we would've done it ourselves, but we're still not authorized to use sling rings."

"Do we even have the space for it?" Felicia chimed in. "It looks way too big to fit."

"This is… complicated," Spider-Man muttered. "Maybe we could ask her to hold onto it for us until we can mine it and transport it piece by piece?"

Several other ideas were tossed around before the team agreed to try Spider-Man's suggestion first. If it failed, Lizzy's idea of liquefying the fragment for transport would be their backup plan.

"Hang tight a second," Spider-Man said to Nightwing before issuing a command. "Aria, call the Ancient One."

A holographic screen appeared on the ship, displaying a ringing icon. After a moment, the Ancient One's serene image appeared, a teacup in her hand.

Seeing Spider-Man in costume, she greeted him formally. "Spider-Man."

Spider-Man pressed his fist to his palm and gave a bow, his tone playful. "Sensei… I see you've mastered technology, even at your age."

The Ancient One's expression remained unamused, her lips pressing into a thin line before she abruptly hung up.

The screen went blank, leaving Spider-Man standing awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck.

The girls stifled their laughter.

"Aria, call her again…" Spider-Man muttered, clearly embarrassed.

When the Ancient One reappeared, her voice was sharp. "Make another wisecrack, and I won't answer again."

Spider-Man cleared his throat, offering a quick apology. "Ah, anyway, I have a favor to ask—if you don't mind?"

"I'm already aware, but go on," she said, taking a small sip of her tea before setting it down.

"Well, we've found this rather large Vibranium fragment," Spider-Man began. "It's too big to fit in our base, and transporting it is out of the question. We were wondering if you might… store it for us? Just temporarily, until we can mine it down efficiently?"

The Ancient One nodded thoughtfully. "I have a place where you can safely store it without worry."

Before they could celebrate, she lifted a finger. "However, it won't be free," she added with a faint smile.

Spider-Man stared at her in disbelief. "Are you seriously going to extort us?"

The Ancient One scoffed. "It's not extortion; it's a fee. I want a small piece of Vibranium in exchange."

Spider-Man tilted his head. "You do? What for?"

The Ancient One raised an eyebrow. "Are you unaware?" she asked before continuing. "I suppose you would be. Vibranium is a very good energy conductor, especially so with magic. vibranium can amplify mystical energies when tempered with magic and science"

Scarlet-Spider raised an eyebrow. "This Vibranium… just how powerful is it, really? It seems to have an endless list of effects and properties."

The Ancient One raised her finger again. "A single ounce of Vibranium is worth a fortune and then some. So, to sweeten the deal, I'll add this: I will personally craft a super suit for each of you, enchanted with my magic. What do you say?"

"Deal!" Spider-Man agreed instantly.

The Ancient One nodded. "A pleasure doing business with you. I'll be there as soon as Nightwing finishes battling his foe and retrieves the fragment."

"Foe?" Nightwing's voice broke through the comms, his tone laced with confusion.

As he turned to investigate, he heard slow, heavy footsteps behind him. Even with his night-vision, the area seemed to darken, as though enveloped by a massive shadow.

When he fully turned, he found himself face-to-face with a giant black crab. Its pincers snapped menacingly, and its glowing eyes locked onto him.

"You're not just going to let me take this, are you?" Nightwing muttered, sighing.

The crab responded by swinging a massive pincer down like a hammer. With a burst of speed, Nightwing dodged the attack, but the sheer force caused the ground to crack beneath it.

As the crab lifted its pincer, Nightwing noticed a faint purple glow at its base. Crouching slightly, he pulled his fist back and launched himself forward like a torpedo.

His punch connected with the crab's shell, but to his shock, the creature barely budged. A faint purple ripple surged through its body.

"What the—?" Nightwing exclaimed in surprise.

Taking advantage of his shock, the crab extended its pincers in a wide swing, attempting to grab him.

Nightwing's hyper-motility kicked in, allowing him to narrowly dodge with a powerful stroke. Landing back on the seafloor, he called into his comms, "Guys, I think this thing absorbed the Vibranium's properties!"

The crab raised its arms before slamming them into the ground, releasing a dome of kinetic energy that surged outward. Nightwing instinctively tried to web away, but his web-shooters proved useless underwater. The blast struck him directly, sending him flying backward.

He crashed into the wall past the Vibranium fragment with a heavy thud, grunting as he was hit.

"Talk about a rookie mistake…" he muttered, shaking off the impact.

The crab shifted toward Nightwing, its pincers thrusting with alarming speed. Nightwing's hyper-instincts kicked in, allowing him to dodge the relentless assault. As the crab's strikes carved large holes into the rocky walls around them, he weaved and zigzagged through the attacks.

"The hell?" he muttered, narrowly avoiding another strike. "Does it know boxing?!"

One pincer shot toward him, but Nightwing caught it with one hand. The other pincer came just as fast, and he grabbed it with his free hand. With both pincers secured, he planted his feet against the wall, tensed his muscles, and kicked off, pushing the massive creature backward.

Let's see how much kinetic energy this beast can hold, he thought, a plan forming in his mind.

He shot forward, cutting through the water like a missile. The crab stabilized itself by stabbing its legs into the ground, but Nightwing was already upon it.

His fists began raining down in a flurry, each punch powerful enough to collapse a house. He didn't stay in one place; he darted through the water, delivering heavy blows from every angle. Yet, the crab's body began glowing a bright purple, absorbing the kinetic energy from his attacks.

Nightwing noticed something peculiar. While most of the crab's body was highlighted in purple, its joints and the outer layer of its eyes remained untouched. Weak points, he realized.

The crab raised its pincers again, preparing to unleash another surge of energy. This time, Nightwing was ready. He pulled out his escrima sticks and fired a grappling hook, propelling himself out of the blast radius just as the crab released a wild kinetic wave.

Crouching low, Nightwing channeled his chi, infusing his body with a bright white glow. The energy extended into his escrima sticks, illuminating them with a brilliant light.

With newfound speed, he blitzed forward, cutting through the water like an arrow. The crab swung one of its massive arms down like a hammer, but Nightwing intercepted the strike. With a precise swing of his chi-enhanced stick, he struck the joint of the pincer. A loud crack echoed through the water as the limb bent at an unnatural angle.

The crab screeched in agony, its cries vibrating through the ocean floor. Nightwing dashed along the unbent portion of its arm, reaching the creature's shoulder joint. The crab thrashed wildly, trying to shake him off, but his sticky feet kept him firmly in place.

He jammed one of his chi-charged escrima sticks into the joint and activated its stun mode. Electricity surged through the crab's body, its screeches intensifying.

Not stopping there, Nightwing used his other stick to fire a grappling hook onto the crab's remaining arm. The hook wrapped tightly around the limb and pulled him across to the opposite shoulder. As the crab convulsed under the effects of the electricity, Nightwing jammed his second stick into the other joint, sending another powerful shockwave through the beast.

The creature's screeches reached an ear-piercing volume, forcing Nightwing to cover his ears. But soon, its cries quieted. Its eyes rolled back into its head, and its massive body went limp, unconscious.

Nightwing let out a breath of relief, admiring his handiwork. Turning his back to the crab, he activated the electromagnetic connectors on his suit. The two escrima sticks dislodged from the crab's shoulders, flew through the water, and magnetically clicked into their slots on his back.

He turned toward the enormous Vibranium fragment, sighing as he approached it. "This looks like it's going to be heavy…"

Tapping his comms, he said, "I'm coming up shortly. I'm almost done on my end."

Walking past the Vibranium, he paused in front of a large boulder. With a grin, he raised a chi-enhanced finger and began carving into the stone. A few moments later, a realistic engraving of a blobfish appeared, complete with text beneath it.

"In memory of Blobby the Blobfish… He showed us what it truly meant to never judge a book by its cover and that friendship can blossom in places we never expect."

Stepping back, Nightwing admired his work. "Rest easy, Blobby."

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