Issue 76: A New Age Part 13

Peter found himself in a small house with Colleen. They were shown courtesy and had to wait patiently for Danny to get done talking to the Elders.

Spider-Man swung side to side in web hammock he made while Colleen paced back and forward.

"You're going to wear a hole in the ground," Peter snickered.

"Aren't you worried about him?"

"Danny's a big boy, he can take care of himself," Peter replied as he thought of something and smiled, "Though, I'm not dating him, so I can see why you're freaking out."

"We're not d…dating!" 

"Oh, so close friends almost kiss? My, how the times have changed."

"I want to punch you right now," Colleen blushed as she shook her fists.

"I get that a lot."

While Peter enjoyed trolling her the Elders were busy staring at a living dragon egg while Danny kneeled patiently at behind it.

"A dragon's egg? You honestly expect us to believe this?" An older woman spoke with doubt in her voice.

"You can see how the Chi in this world is reacting to it. I promise you this is the real deal."

"Why should we believe someone who abandoned their post?" Another of the Elders spoke.

"Enough," Lei Kung sighed, "Danny, why did you leave?"

"I…felt I needed to. The world was calling to me, so I answered. Not to mention…I have unfinished business at home. You told me that a martial artist must be free from distraction, well, my parents' death was my biggest obstacle."

"You betrayed our sect, abandoned you post, and you claim the world was calling to you to do so?" An elderly man with long bushy brows huffed.

"The Hand were responsible for the assassination of my family."

The room quieted down.

"In the time I've been gone, I have fought against the Hand, defeated 3 of their leaders, and helped save this world from an alien invasion. The world is full of powerful people, humans with magical-like abilities, and threats of cosmic proportions awaiting Earth. There are beings that can wipe out entire planets with ease. The world outside has changed, and if we do not change as well, then we will be left behind. Tell me, when was the last time we won tournament for the gathering of the Immortals?"

"Silence!" One of the elder's shouted in anger.

"I will not. I will not stand idly while the world is destroyed. K'un Lun is no longer safe for any of you. Strip me of my power if you must. However, I will no longer follow a flawed system. We have lost the last 6 Immortal Tournaments and the clans they took with them left us weaker. By secluding ourselves from the outside world, the talented people that could lead us into a brighter future are overlooked, our progress is stagnating, and we live like cave men. While our enemies adapt and get stronger, we rot here in a tiny realm. Nothing about this is good."

A few of the Elders were so red they started looking like chili-peppers about roasting over a fire. 

A woman suddenly started chuckling, "He has a point."

The woman who spoke was Fan Fei another martial artist who had achieved the timeless body like her husband, Lei Kung.

"You're just saying that because you see him as your child," An annoyed Elder spoke up.

"What does that have to do with anything? Right is right," Fan Fei rolled her eyes.

"Is that the same thing you said when you taught commoners to use Chi?" An angry female elder spat.

"You want to be very careful with your next words. The Mystical Beasts of these lands were killing innocents every day. If commoners disappear, so do our roots," Lei Kung nearly snarled.

"What I did was for K'un Lun and its future. If you continued to go about it your way, we'd run out of students in a hundred years or so," Fan Fei added, "And now my son has returned with a similar goal, of course you old bastards would be against it!"

"Why you har…" 

The elder didn't get to finish before Lei Kung shouted, "ENOUGH!" The room shook like his voice was thunder, "I will take the egg to Shou-Lao. We will decide Danny's punishment when I return."

An elder made a smug expression before Lei Kung added, "If he deserves one."

"About that, I was wondering if you could take the guest I bought. The one known as Peter used science to not only clone this egg, but he has 4,999 remaining. He wishes to speak with the Immortal Dragon."

Everyone in the room gasped while Lei Kung frowned, "And what does he plan on doing with so many?"

"I don't know, but my friend gave me his word, whether or not he gets what he wants, he will turn over all the eggs to the Immortal Dragon Sect."

"Come with me," Lei Kung started walking out of the door.

Iron Fist followed his teacher and adoptive father before ending up at the guest house. When Coleen saw him, she ran over and hugged Danny while Peter stared down the man known as the Thunderer. 

"Hmm…Interesting child," Lei Kung noticed the vast well of Chi inside the Spider-Hero.

"Hi, nice to meet ya," Peter held out his hand.

Seeing he was lost, Danny snickered at his father figure and said, "You're supposed to shake. It's a Western Greeting."

"I know that," Lei Kung blushed a little as he shook his hand.

"Name's Peter Parker, I'm a hero from New York, they call me Spider-Man."

"Spider-Man, huh? There used to be a clan of Spiders that lived in K'un Lun many years ago."

"Well, no relation here. So, did you guys finish?" Peter looked to Danny.

"Actually, I would like to know what you plan on doing with those dragon eggs you brought here."

"Oh, I plan offering Shou Lao a trade."

"You wish to trade with the Immortal Dragon?" The Thunderer lifted a brow.

"I do,"

Lei Kung tapped his foot against the floor and said, "May I see these dragon eggs?"

"Sure," Peter threw out all of them inside the large courtyard and watched as the Chi in the hidden realm started acting up. 

They marveled as the Chi in the area suddenly exploded like the land was welcoming them home.

"Are you a Mystic?" Lei Kung stared at his bag.

"Somewhat," Peter replied with a smirk.

"Very well, I will allow you to…"

A might dragon's roar suddenly shook the ground. A golden flame spewed into the air as the chirp like roar got closer and closer.

Peter could feel his own Chi being suppressed while Danny's seemed to be growing stronger.

Before he knew it, there was a giant snake like dragon with four limbs and wings flying above them.

"My champion," Shou Lao's voice boomed, "You have returned."

"Yes! My apologies for leaving, Shou Lao,"

"My champion has no reason to give apologies. What you do is your own choice, and as long as it doesn't bring shame to our clan, then I could care less what you do."

"Wooooahhh! It's a real dragon! SOOOO COOOL!" Peter's eyes sparkled alongside Colleen.

"I know I shouldn't, but I kind of want to pet him," Colleen blushed in embarrassment.

"Who is this one with the power of the Spider Totems emanating from him, and how…" Shou Lao looked at the eggs, "How is this possible?"

Peter might have been mistaken, but he swears the dragon was smiling.

"I used the bones of ancient dragon to clone new ones. I altered their genetic coding a bit too. It should be easier for them to produce offspring."

"How?" Lei Kung asked. The dragons barely managed to produce a single child every thousand years or so. It was their biggest flaw, and yet here a stranger was telling them that he fixed it.

"Male Dragons need mates with equal or superior Chi levels, and since the males of the species have Chi levels are usually 1.75 to 2 times stronger, it was so rare that they ever had children at all. I augmented their DNA and forwent that trait by quite a bit. I couldn't scrub it, but I think the 50% Chi difference I managed to pull off should improve their ability to procreate."

"How'd you do that?" Danny questioned.

"I made the genetic sequences for producing bio-energy stronger for the females."

By now, a crowd had gathered, but they all kept their distance, most of them bowing on the ground as they worshiped the Immortal Dragon like he was their god.

"What did he mean by Spider-Totem?" Colleen asked.

"Complicated higher being stuff," Peter replied as he walked up to the dragon.

"Immortal Dragon Shou Lao, I bring you 5,000 dragon eggs ready to hatch. I hope this offering is enough for you to grant my wish."

Peter removed them from their incubators and held the eggs with his telekinesis. 

"It is a worthy deed you have accomplished young Spider. What is you desire from me?"

"I want a few drops of your blood and a bone from you. I will heal any damage done to your body, and even if you refuse, I shall leave the eggs here."

While the people of K'un Lun looked at Peter as if he was a sinner worse than the devil, the Dragon suddenly laughed.

"You wish for blood and bone, that is all?"

"That's it," 

"What do you plan to do with it?" The Immortal Reptile questioned.

"I'm something like a Chimera. You blood and bone will further my own evolution. I need it to become strong enough to protect this planet."

The dragon laughed once more, "If you wish to obtain my blood and bone, then you must earn it through a trial of combat!" 

"Well, I don't know if I can win, so how about we make it so that if I draw blood, you'll concede."

"Very well, let us begin!" The dragon suddenly erupted in flames.

"Wait! Hold on just a second. Maybe we should move away from the city. Not to mention the eggs need to be protected."

A sweat dropped on the dragon's forehead before it nodded his head, "We are in agreement. Thunderer, take them to my abode and place them next to the brazier."

"Yes, my lord."

Lei Kung used his Chi to make the eggs float beside him before he flew away.

"Come, jump on my back. I shall take you to the proving grounds," The dragon lowered his body to the grassy surface, "My champion shall be witness to our glorious battle."

Danny nodded his head as he stood up, clasped his hands together, and bowed, "I would be honored."

"I want to go too," Colleen called out.

"The sacred arena is not a playground, child," Shou Lao growled.

"Uh…Matriarch, could I ask you to look over my…er," Iron Fist blushed as he nearly called her his girlfriend. 

Fan Fei smirked as she placed her hands on the woman's shoulder, "Of course. I'm looking to hear more about my possible daughter-in-law."

"MOM!" Danny blushed as he shouted. He knew that she hated when he called her Matriarch and that his adoptive mother's way of getting back at him.

"See, that's what you should call me in the future too," Fan Fei giggled.

"My mother is in charge of training the female warriors of K'un Lun. There is much you can learn from her."

Colleen was a mess. Her face was bright red, and she could barely contain her outburst as she said, "Then…I'll look forward to learning about you too."

The dragon took off with Danny and Peter while Coleen was being dragged away by the Matriarch of the Iron Fist Clan.

"You have an excellent foundation, who trained you?"

"My…parents, and then…the Hand," Colleen looked away with shame written all over her face.

"I see there is a story to be told. Come child, I will not judge you too harshly. We all have our stories that haunt us," Fan Fei shook her head.

"You too?"

"I once taught commoners the art of Chi and combat. However, it was forbidden for anyone to teach the Iron Fist style that was not of the same clan. The Elders had given the order to feed my pupils to same Mystical Beasts that they trained themselves to fight against."

"What happened?" Colleen asked with a worried expression.

"My husband put a stop to it and invited those commoners into the clan. Of course, he wasn't my husband at the time."

"Ooh," Coleen seemed more interested in hearing that story.