Marvelous Martial Arts (A Marvel Story)

Steve Rogers was dressed in his full Captain America getup, with his trusty shield attached to his back, and even the winged mask. Having observed this world from the confines of this body, Mason had seen plenty of footage relating to Captain America through his ‘childhood’, as had any other kid who grew up in America.

So the Captain looked like a man out of his time with his old costume, which he was, but at the same time, it gave him a certain… mythological factor, like Mason was standing before a living statue.

The man himself was staring back, though Mason was surprised to find empathy in the man’s gaze.

Chuckling to himself, Mason unceremoniously took a seat across from Fury, finally looking at the director as he said, ”I’ll have you know, I’m actually a fan of the Captain, so if you did any weird shit like resurrecting him through some dark magic, or created some kind of impersonator, we’re gonna have a problem. And don’t think these two will save you.”

Fury looked completely nonplussed at the threat, biting back, ”You are being very dismissive of Rogers, who is someone claiming to be a fan.”

”The fact that I look up to him doesn’t mean he could stop me,” Mason glanced at Steve, ”no offense, Cap, but I could probably no-hit you.”

Steve looked perplexed as he repeated, unsure, ”No-hit?”

Fury’s look hardened, as if he had discovered something he did not like, while Mason snorted, ”It’s a gaming term. It means defeating an enemy without getting hit. Play Dark Souls, you’ll get it.”

”That sounds very ominous for a game. And I’ve knocked the teeth off of more than one egotistical maniac in my time.”

Mason shrugged, spreading out on the sofa. ”Wouldn’t call myself that, but it’s fine. And on paper, you don’t really stand a chance, but if there’s one person who’s used to tearing the paper, it’s you.”

Steve looked like he did not know what to make of his words, the idiom unfamiliar, and Fury interrupted, ”Enough with the dick-measuring contest. I’m here as a friend, but I’ve seen what you’ve done to those Hand ninjas. Everyone has. Captain America and Agent 19 are here as a precaution. And so is the sniper team, who currently have their sights on you.”

Mason looked to the windows, and Fury sounded satisfied with himself as he added, ”We got several Neidan practitioners of our own. It helped us pick up on contingencies. So focused on what’s in front of you that you missed the barrel over your shoulder.”

Unfortunately for Fury, Mason only looked bored as he tilted his head, saying, ”Maybe this could do something against your average martial artist, but you are standing before the peak.”

Again, Mason had not truly reached the peak of the Awakening Realm, but his Breath and Essence were both at a value above 9. Mason would not shy away from calling himself the strongest ever.

He turned his head to the blond agent, Agent 19, and offered her a smile. ”And you. I must apologize for the inattention, but those two do cast a rather large shadow, which makes me wonder why you’re here. A mutant, perhaps?”

Agent 19 smiled back, but said nothing, letting Fury take over. ”We’re here to help you, Mr. Tunt, and hopefully we will come out of here as coworkers.”

”I don’t think you have coworkers, Mr. Eyepatch,” he could not quite call him by a name he was not supposed to know.

Fury stared back and ignored the comment. ”It has come to our attention that you have found yourself in a thorny situation. What started out as you being framed devolved into a massacre in Hell’s Kitchen. Even the Hulk didn’t kill that many people in his rampages.”

Mason shrugged, ”And I’m sure you have agents who’ve killed far more. I’m certain you did yourself, probably directly, and most definitely through your orders.”

”There is a difference between ordering a man’s death, shooting him, and shattering every bone and organ in their chest with your naked palm. Those ninjas might not have been saints; their deaths must still weigh on your conscience. You are only just a boy, after all.”

The very obvious attempt at provoking him made Mason chortle as he looked at Steve. ”What about you, Cap? Do all those people you killed haunt your dreams?”

He frowned, rattled by the question. ”We were at war.”

”So killing for your country is more honorable than killing for your survival?”

”They were Nazis!”

”So they were brainwashed by a higher power. So were the Hand ninjas. I don’t mean to demean you or anyone in the war here, Cap; I’m only saying that those were not murders,” Mason almost said the Hand Ninjas were worse, on account of their corrupted souls, but he held it back, looking at Fury, ”and that’s why I’d like my freedom back. Something tells me that’s why you’re here.”

While Steve was frowning, rethinking Mason’s words, Agent 19 quipped in, ”The guy is a monk; talking philosophy with him always ends in a trap.”

Mason crossed his legs, staring at her now. ”Because you don’t win an argument doesn’t mean a trap was laid. And I’m no closer to being a monk than you are; I’m just awesome at martial arts. Didn’t come with the severing the seven desires package.”

She narrowed her eyes at him when Fury got back his hold of the conversation. ”You would be partly right in your guess, Mr. Tunt. Partly, because I also come with a proposition for you. One that would be irrelevant to settling your innocence, I assure you.”

Mason raised an eyebrow at Fury, guessing he was talking about the Avengers Initiative. A part of him was excited at the prospect of becoming a founding member of the Avengers. Of course, there was the existence of Hydra to think about, but becoming an Avenger would protect him from them. They were not an overt organization, so as long as he refused any of their moves, SHIELD would… well, shield him from them, even if unknowingly.

Still, Mason had his considerations.

”I’m listening.”

Fury leaned back in his seat, somewhat overtly comfortable for someone standing before a man capable of killing them with a single move. ”As you’ve started witnessing by yourself, the evils of this world do not stop at greedy men. Frankly, if I told you about everything I’ve seen, you would probably lose your mind,” Mason smiled, saying nothing to that, ”but what I can tell you is that no single person could possibly hope to stop them all. That is why I am assembling a team, some of whose members you are familiar with.”

Fury studied Mason’s expression carefully as he listed, ”Captain America. Iron Man. The Hulk.” Fury’s single eye narrowed ever so slightly as he searched for any change in Mason’s expression, but he kept smiling.

”What? I don’t have a problem with the Hulk. He was being manipulated when we fought. It was a fun fight too. Hopefully the next one will be longer.”

Agent 19 looked at him like he had sprouted a second head. ”You want to fight it again?”

Mason scoffed like it was a stupid question. ”Of course I do. He’s like the ultimate test. And there’s no better stimulant than a life-and-death battle for a cultivator.”

”Cultivator?”

”What I call Neidan practitioners. Don’t worry about it.” It was one of the stranger differences between this world and Mason’s old world was the near-total absence of Xianxia. Only a few dramas had been written, and they were very surface-level. Mason’s guess was that it was because it was a real thing in this world, and the old masters hoarded the knowledge, forbidding its spread.

Fury looked at Steve, then back at Mason. ”This team would be called the Avengers, and their duty would be to handle what we mere mortals couldn’t hope to face. The world could use someone of your expertise. Of course, accepting would come with its fair share of benefits. Some you would be indifferent to, such as training and pay, but I can assure you we have accommodations that would interest you. Starting with making sure no one could ever frame you like this again.”

Mason gave a slow nod, genuinely interested, but he said, ”Alright, you can consider me interested. But how about we speak of the matter of my innocence? Because you see, I’ve gotten some time to think about my warrant.”

Fury’s body betrayed no signs of agitation, and even his Chi remained still, which was a level of self-control that bordered on the superhuman, but Mason continued nonetheless, ”I was perplexed at first, because while I knew the Kingpin and his band couldn’t have placed that worldwide bounty on me, I was sure that neither could have the Hand. However, as such an old organization, I’m sure they still have a connection or two. So it got me thinking: who in the world could possibly make me wanted throughout the UN overnight?”