Elf With A Template System In The MCU

POV Rio

It had taken a lot of preparation for the operation to kill Sebastian Shaw. For one, Ms Frost wasn't as certain as she tried to portray. She had only been to the base once and had seen it only on a map once. So everything she said had to be proven after a lot of searching. If that was all, then we would have struck him earlier, but Eric was insistent that he join the mission. He wanted revenge, and nobody would convince him otherwise, and personally, I didn't see a reason to refuse. His mastery of magnetism could come in handy if my initial plans don't work.

The only issue I could find was that I couldn't tell what was inside the pocket dimension Shaw was hiding in, nor could I determine the origin of the dimension. And I don't like uncertainties. I wasn't worried about getting stuck inside if I scouted ahead, but rather I was worried about tipping off the enemy. In almost every situation, an owner of a dimension can tell when someone enters it. It was a catch-22; if I go in, I am likely to make the enemy more on guard, and they may build up additional defenses, but if I don't go in, I won't know what they have prepared for intruders if they do have anything, but I will likely catch them off guard.

In either case, I was almost certain I knew the exact area where Shaw was hiding. It was the only pocket dimension I could sense in the entire South Atlantic, so I feel it is likely the right place. Even if it wasn't, it wouldn't be that big of a deal; it would just delay the inevitable, not Thanos, but me finding Shaw.

POV Shift Sebastian Shaw

"Do you need something?" I ask my benefactor.

"Oh, there are a lot of things I need, Dearie, but for now I'll settle on asking when you will get back to fulfilling yer end of the bargain," Lady Ethel asks.

"A little longer. Things on Earth are a bit complicated right now. But we've had this conversation before. Why are you bringing this up again?" I ask with slight annoyance.

"The tides are shiftin'. A storm is brewin'. And I don't want to be caught up in the mess that will follow," Lady Ethel says.

"Are you breaking the deal?" I ask with narrowed eyes.

"Don't you dare suggest I am not a witch of my word. The deal is sacred, and no self-respectin' witch would dare breach a contract. What I am sayin' is you still need to go and deliver me the head of that damn charlatan. And if that gets you out of my realm for a wee bit while I deal with any guests that might come lookin' for you, then all the better for us all," Lady Ethel suggests.

"The only possible person that is still alive and knows of this place is the woman whose body you desire. With my power, I could capture her myself, but you would have no issue with that either. Just remember what I said about her. Beauty, her everlasting youth, her immense psionic powers, all of that would be yours to do with what you will," I entice.

"Hmm, I suppose that might be true. But still, it is better if you leave for a time. I may not be the best fortune-teller, but I know enough to know when the winds of change are comin'. And believe me when I say you best avoid those winds if you want to keep livin'. Even the strongest mast will break if you push against the wind. I haven't lived this long by lettin' my greed rule me," Lady Ethel refutes.

"Why must I go deal with that simple trickster? Surely with your great powers, you could squash him like a bug," I try to move the conversation in a different direction.

"He knows me and has long had time to prepare himself to deal with any attempts by me to get revenge. One must never underestimate a dark practitioner. We all know how to cheat without paying a dime," Lady Ethel warns sternly.

"What exactly did he do to cause you to want to kill him?" I ask.

"That little gobshite cheated me out of a deal and then had the gall to steal from me. ME! When I get my hands on them, I will make the cretin beg, plead, weep for what will always be denied... The sweet release of death," Lady Ethel says, and I can see her form slightly shift as if she might reveal her true form again.

Her current form made her appear as a simple old lady who couldn't hurt a fly, but when I first came here, I saw her real form, which is a hideous eight-foot-tall green beast with a long hooked nose and massive claws for hands.

"What did he steal?" I ask before adding, "So that if I find it, I can bring it back."

"Hmm, very well. An amulet. Eight-sided. Jade, ringed with ebony, with a skull faintly visible within the gem. It contains a great power, but I wouldn't attempt to use it if I were you. It's very dangerous to those who know little of magic," Lady Ethel warns.

"What does it do? And will it make fighting him harder?" I ask with growing interest.

"It does many things. The amount of spiritual energy in the amulet gives a skilled magic user the ability to manipulate and control those spirits to do their bidding. It also makes creatin' undead a cinch. Of course, it boosts the power of the wielder, but often at the cost of their physical attributes. If you can get close, then takin' him out or takin' the amulet should be easy," Lady Ethel explains.

I was so interested in the description of the amulet and what it could do that I didn't consider why she was telling me this much info. Sure, I asked, but Ethel has never been one to share anything willingly.

"And this man is in Louisiana?" I ask.

"New Orleans. That charlatan never strays too far from that place, as it's the easiest place to ply his trade. People go missin' there all the time, and nobody ever catches on. Even Vampires once had a large coven there. Before their extinction, that is," Lady Ethel says.

"Hmm, very well, I shall go hunt him down. But surely you can gift me something to hide me from those that might be seeking me?" I suggest.

"Ah, fine, Dearie. Take this talisman. It shall keep you hidden from prying eyes. Assumin' you don't draw attention to yerself," Lady Ethel explains.

The talisman she gave me was a simple-looking wooden carving of a humanoid head. It was like a tribal mask or something similar to it. It was connected to a simple black string that I placed around my neck, wearing it as a necklace.

"Good, now get! I have things to do and would prefer to do them once you are away," Lady Ethel demands.

I nod and take my leave, as I didn't see a reason to stick around.

POV Shift Lady Ethel

'Foolish mortal. All they ever want is more, more, and more. But I suppose it would be much harder to use them if they weren't so selfish.'

I told him only enough to get him to foolishly try to break the contract. When I made the deal with him all those years ago, I needed supplies and figured it wasn't that bad of a deal. But that deal has gone sour, and I needed out. Especially with the changes on Earth. There are so few magic users remaining on Earth, and I wasn't interested in becomin' another statistic, especially not after the death of Le Fay.

"Sigh. The age of magic has truly ended, hasn't it?" I say sadly.

I had a good run, but I was thinkin' it might be time to move to another Earth.

'I hear Limbo is lovely this time of year.'

There were also a few more reasons I had sent Shaw away. Part of it was to get him out of my dimension while I made some preparations. Another was to separate myself from him as much as possible. I didn't care what he did in the past; I was far from pure, but admittedly, when I signed the contract, I didn't know I was working with a Nazi. That alone wouldn't be that big of a deal, as I had done deals with them in the past, but with one of the leaders of their concentration camps. That brought with it more issues than I liked.

"A man like him has far too many enemies," I mutter.

And those enemies can easily become my enemies. And I'll be damned if I die because of Shaw. I haven't lived as long as I have to die for such a pathetic worm.

'Hopefully, he can at least accomplish one last thing before I get rid of him.'

I wasn't lying when I said I wanted my amulet back. That damn thing was crucial to me, and I would sooner die than leave this world without it. My teacher would tear my soul to pieces if he learned I lost his amulet to a second-rate witch doctor. Though admittedly, there was a level of need to clear my shame and kill the bastard who stole from me all those years ago.

"Let's see his so-called friends on the other side help him this time," I say with a malicious grin as I think about the look of fear when he realizes I won.

'Oh, that will be a moment worth savorin' for centuries to come.'