Marvel: Merchant Days

Tony was not at all pleased with himself of recent and the reason why was pretty obvious. There was a lot he could do but there was only so much he could do in a field that wasn't his.

Their latest run-in with Doom further exacerbated that feeling. He was happy with finally cracking the Kerenzikov but that meant absolutely nothing in front of Annihilus and Doom.

Sure he gained extreme mobility, but extreme mobility meant nothing in the face of pure power—something he seemed to be lacking lately.

Bruce had told him to take it easy. Bruce. The irony.

It was as if someone held an 'extra oomph' convention and failed to send him an invite. Thor got his hammer a new cosmetic wrap and decided to bulk up a few. Doom apparently had a wardrobe update. Hell, even Fury was on something new these days.

For the first time in a long time, Tony Stark was unsatisfied with his work. The Iron Man suits were his magnum opus, his pride and joy, but lately he hardly felt that fulfillment whenever he put on the suit.

Pepper had suggested that maybe it was time to give the suits and blasters a little break. He knew she meant well but that wasn't what he needed right now.

Because for the first time in a long time, Tony felt a hunger for something he had only felt a few times in his life. The last time he felt like this was in a cave surrounded by terrorists with hotwires plugged into his chest.

The Kerenzikov had been the right idea, but just like his Mk 1 suit, it was a shoddy foundation for something greater.

And he knew exactly where to get the right materials for inspiration.

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.....

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He pushed the door open with a flair and walked in with the confidence of a man that had never put a budget on a shopping spree.

Tony pushed his glasses down as he walked around looking for anything that would tickle his fancy.

He picked up the lightsaber, because why not. He also picked up a shield that apparently used hard light projection. While at it, he also nabbed a pair of bedsheets with a texture Pepper would appreciate, because again, why not. Just for the whimsy, he picked up a potted plant with a bulbous head and a row of unsightly sharp teeth, that apparently subsists on sunlight.

"She gets prissy if I only shop for my things." It did not need explaining but he did it either way as he laid them on top of the counter.

"So what do you do other than manning the register?"

"Eh, not much. I mean, it's the only reason why I'm here. And in my humble opinion, my stationary existence is for the betterment of the market."

"Self-awareness, I like that. You know, with how many billion people are on this planet, you'd think most people would be conscious of it."

Tony dipped his hands into the bowl of complementary sweets and took a few.

"What does this do?" He reached for a pen case on the other end of the counter and held it up.

"It doesn't run out of ink." Isaac replied, to which Tony gave a nod and added it to his pile.

He took off his glasses and tucked them into his pockets. The humor didn't bleed off him, as that would be contrary to his person, but he looked a bit more serious.

"Alright, the kiddy gloves are coming off this time." The next word that left his mouth felt heavy, and yet arrived easily all the same. "I need challenging innovative pieces. Mad tech, biotech, bio-mech-tech, c'mon give it to me. I'm breaking the bank this time around."

Isaac looked at him for a second and responded. "Give me a moment."

Instead of going through the shop, Isaac turned around and went into the backrooms storage and under Tony's interested stares, carried items after items to showcase in front of him.

He didn't even notice when the space in front of him expanded to contain all the items Isaac was hauling out, or he noticed but didn't really care at this point.

—R-Type Nanomachine Augments (R-Type): Advanced nanomachine-based augmentations with barely any cosmetic effects, offering superhuman capabilities.

Price: $200,000,000.

This one was out the door. He was already cracking nanotech, and the only thing stopping him doing augmentations was his lacking biological knowledge. That aside, the pricing was… fair.

—Adrenal Booster Implant (Dark Angel): An implant at the base of the skull that hyper-adrenalizes the user, making them almost unstoppable in combat.

*Downsides: Can be remotely controlled to induce overwhelming pain and disorientation.

Price: $8,000,000.

This one, like the Kerenzikov, could be overworked. All it needed was a perfected touch – his touch.

—Callophean Psy-Engine (Warhammer 40k): A dread weapon that harnesses psychic and Warp energies for devastating effect.

Price: $250,000,000.

"Okay, that is cryptic as fuck. What's the deal?"

"It's a combination of everything dark and malevolent." Isaac looked at the weapon with a hint of admiration in his face. "If you're using tech like these then you either truly hate your enemies or you're too mad to care. Basically."

"Basically." Tony scoffed in disbelief.

—Project Phoenix (Rick and Morty): A backup cloning system that transfers Rick's consciousness into a new body upon death.

Price: $500,000,000.

Tony stopped and blinked a few times. He looked up at Isaac, and seeing no reaction on the Merchant's side, simply shrugged and moved on.

—Science Microwave (Rick and Morty): A device that can reconfigure matter at a fundamental level.

Price: $312,500,000.

—Pickle Serum (Rick and Morty): A serum that transforms the user into a pickle, retaining full human consciousness.

Price: $1,000,000.

"Okay, I'm seeing a pattern of whimsy with these names. Who would be dumb enough to turn themselves into a pickle?"

"Eh, you'd be surprised."

"Can't say I'm surprised."

—Genovials (Nanite Vials) (World Anvil): A device capable of rewriting a humanoid organism's DNA on a temporary basis and for a specific effect. Usually, the intended effect is to alter one's biology in drastic ways for a short period.

Price: $15,000,000.

Now, this he could get behind. Something plain to understand and still interesting enough to fix. It definitely beats turning into a pickle.

—Transgenic Blasphemy (Warhammer 40k): The forbidden science of combining xenos gene-matter or surgical grafts with human organic matter. Can create chimeras, forced psychic mutations, and "slaver parasites" that subvert will and bodily functions.

Price: $2,875,000,000,000.

—Malifica (Warhammer 40k): The darkest and most arcane of all sciences, dealing with the manipulation of Warp energies and psychic force. Includes the melding of Daemonic spirits with machinery and channeling the raw power of the Warp through technology.

Price: $4,224,780,000,000.

"Okay, hold up. Why are they sounding like super variations of the bubonic plague?"

He laughed it off but the thoughts in his head were more sedated.

All his life people had called him a mad inventor but seeing the small array of options in front of him, he understood inherently that continuing on would stamp that mad title firmer than any magazine ever could.

He knew exactly how obsession felt – half of what his life felt like – so he knew that any purchase from these would open that door that he had struggled to put a lid on.

Isaac heard him say the kiddy gloves were off and raised him a bar.

"Is this everything?"

"Of course not. This is just a small selection of a larger category. We can keep on rotating until you are satisfied."

"Good man. My favorite kind of buffet."

Tony smacked his lips and clapped his hands. He leaned forward and ran the numbers in his head while looking through the selection a second time.

"This and this," he tapped on the Genovials and the Science Microwave. Those two were his first picks.

The Genovials were for the long term as he fought his way through biology while the Science Microwave was for the crazy extent he could stretch fun and innovation until they overlapped.

"You know what, why not." He added the pickle serum to the cart. It was purely for the experience, and the giggles too.

Restraint has never been his strong suit but he had to show it at this juncture before he put himself in more trouble.

As much as he would've loved to take a crack at these calamitous weaponries, he was self-aware in the knowledge that he would be biting more than he could chew. There were only so many things he could divide his attention to.

He did add Project Phoenix to the list as it was too tempting to pass up, no matter how much he tried to ignore it.

Genovials, Science Microwave, Project Phoenix, along with the addition of a lightsaber, a hardlight shield, a pair of bedsheets and a potted plant he named Joe. And the pen. Can't forget the pen.

(Oh, Pepper would love that, wouldn't she?)

"Should I send them up to your residence?" Isaac asked.

Almost a billion dollars well spent(he was sure Pepper would disagree).

"I don't have enough trunk space."

"Roger that."

He couldn't help the large smile that streaked across his face as he left the shop. Standing under the sun in a closed off corner in Queens, Tony felt a satisfaction sliding under his ribs and resting there.

His car reversed towards him and the doors opened on their own. Driving back to the Tower, he felt like he could actually take a six hours sleep now if he tried.

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...…..

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Barely minutes after Tony left, the doors to the shop swung open again as someone else strolled in.

"You're making big bucks now, aren't you?" Frank said as he saddled up to the counter. "Tony Stark. Who else? The whole spandex squad?"

Isaac was pleasantly surprised by the appearance. "Frank! It's been a while."

"Yeah? Thought I kicked over, ain't you?"

Isaac snorted. "More like I thought you moved cities and took my business with you."

Frank scoffed at that. Of course that was the only thing the shark would care about. Once again, he asked himself why he never put a bullet between the bastard's eyes, but then he looked at Isaac and easily reminded himself why.

Isaac leaned against the counter on his sides and folded his arms.

"So what have you been up to lately?" Merchants were a curious bunch. That was what the whole Trade was about.

"What's it to you?"

"Just curious." The answer came with a nonchalant shrug. Frank stared at him for a moment before giving back a shrug of his own.

He patted the front pockets of the heavy jacket he wore as if in search of something but quickly gave up. "Nothing much. Been laying low for a while. Fewer jobs. Y'know, breathing a little."

Isaac hummed in understanding. He knew how important a moment of disconnect was to the mind. Such moments were usually had after finishing a shift, but the sentiment Frank shared was something he could relate to.

"Finally done with breathing then, I take it?"

"The air grew… stale. Mhm, let's go with that." Was Frank's reply.

"So what can I help you with?"

"Untraceable burners."

"No problem. How many do you need?"

"Four will do. And a dozen Estus, just in case."

"Of course, just in case."

Isaac quickly packaged Frank's orders and handed it over to the man who in turn passed him a bundle of cash.

"Guess I'll be seeing you frequently once more. Have a great day, Frank."

"Whatever." The gruff man waved him off and simply took his package and made his exit.

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