Game in Marvel-Chapter 94

"Who votes in favor of taking it back?" Liam asked, raising his own hand. Barton and Tony promptly followed suit, their hands shooting up without hesitation. There was no need to formally vote against it—Steve and Natasha's disapproving expressions said it all. Neither of them wanted to haul a half-dead monster back.

Seeing no other way forward, Steve decided to let the matter go. Instead, he turned his attention to the merchant with the bowl-cut hair, who was still visibly shaken from the whole ordeal. The man looked startled but grateful as Steve began helping him repair the badly damaged carriage.

As Steve focused on the shaken merchant, Liam turned back to the griffin, which let out another weak screech. Its golden eyes flickered with fury but lacked the strength to act. Before Liam could move, Vesemir stepped forward.

"I would like to object, if you allow me," Vesemir said gruffly. "Taking this creature back alive... that's a reckless idea, even for you lot. But there's something worth considering here."

"And what would that be?" Liam asked. He was sure that they didn't have any idea of what he was capable of, so he allowed their ignorance.

"A live specimen is rare—unheard of, actually. There could be differences in anatomy or behavior we've never seen before. I'd like to study parts of it while it's still alive. That kind of knowledge could be invaluable in dealing with its kind in the future," Vesemir said.

"Study it?" Tony interjected. "What are we talking here—blood samples, feathers, talons? uh, no offense, but you sure you're up for this, Gramps?"

"We've been at this longer than you've been alive, boy. Don't mistake experience for frailty." Vesemir narrowed his eyes

"Right," Tony said, crossing his arms. "That's a lot of words for 'yes.'"

"You don't recognize us?" Geralt came forward and asked.

"Should we?" Steve asked in return.

"They're witchers," Liam interjected before the situation could escalate. "They hunt monsters for a living. And they're very good at it."

"You mean mages, sorcerers?" Natasha asked in curiosity.

"Not quite," Liam explained. "Witchers do know some magic, but it's limited. Their main claim to fame is monster hunting. Enhanced strength, speed, and reflexes—they're the real deal."

"Wait, wait, wait." Tony held up a hand. "So, you're telling me we've got monster-slaying knights with magic? And no one thought to give us a heads-up? Seriously, Liam, you couldn't throw that in the briefing?"

"Well, what was the surprise if I told you everything." Liam smirked.

"Sorry if we came off... uninformed. We didn't mean any offense." Steve came forward and apologized.

"Sorry?!" Geralt was taken aback. He had never heard such words from a normal human before. All they had received in their life was scorn and expletives. Sorry was never in anyone's dictionary.

"Umm... is there a problem?" Steve asked as he noticed Geralt and Vesemir were a bit surprised by Tony's words.

"It means people usually call us freaks, monsters, and worse. Never 'sir' or 'thank you.'" Vesemir replied.

"Wait—seriously?" Barton looked genuinely surprised. "But you're saving lives, right? Shouldn't people be, I don't know, grateful?"

"They're grateful until they're not," Geralt replied, "Fear's a powerful thing. Ignorance even more so."

"Historically, witchers have not been liked by the general public. Witchers have long lives, enhanced senses, and are great swordsmen. But there is a downside too—mainly the loss of emotions and being unable to have children of their own. Once, monsters ran rampant, but through passage of time the witchers and the sorcerers had annihilated many of the monsters. Thus, over time, their population went down, and people, being the ignorant beings that they are, started hating witchers and sorcerers. Of course, witchers themselves don't have a good reputation, as many of them have involved themselves in politics and committed quite a number of crimes. The story is more complicated, but this is the general gist," Liam said.

The last words made the merchant hang his head in shame.

"So, uh... thanks for doing what you do. And sorry for being a little—" Tony said.

"Annoying?" Natasha suggested with a smirk.

"I was gonna say 'direct,' but sure, let's go with that," Tony shot back.

"Apology accepted." Geralt's eyes narrowed slightly.

Steve, Natasha, Barton, and Tony gave Liam more glares than they ever could in their lifetime. They felt embarrassed. No wonder Liam seemed to have puppy dog eyes when he saw Geralt. He knew who they were from the beginning, and it also explained the cat-like eyes of these two men.

The team thought that these two were some kind of hybrids. Since Liam had said this would be a magical trial, everyone was keeping their minds open.

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"Coming back to the griffin, I want to examine this monster and take whatever is required, if you allow me to. I can offer you orens in exchange for allowing me to harvest what I need. Fair trade, wouldn't you say?" Vesemir said, bringing back the topic as the beast seemed to be waking up, only to be electrocuted by Tony again. He was a little dumbfounded by the ignorance of these people, but one couldn't deny their teamwork and strength.

"Keep your orens, old man. We don't need your money," Liam said. "But you and Geralt? You'd owe me a favor. Something I can call in when I need it."

Vesemir frowned, considering the offer. Geralt, who had been quietly observing the exchange, spoke up.

"A favor, huh? You're playing the long game, aren't you? Especially when your group doesn't even know about monsters."

"They might not, but I know some of the secrets around. As you know, knowledge is power," Liam smirked.

After a moment of silence, Vesemir gave a curt nod.

"Fine. You've got yourself a deal. But don't expect us to agree lightly when you come to collect. We won't get involved in killing human beings or give you any kind of political powers," Vesemir said.

"If we want to kill humans, we are probably more efficient than you. No, I am sure that we are more efficient than you or both of you together," Liam spoke with pride. For the simple fact that they carried guns. This made both Vesemir and Geralt do a double take but didn't refute.

Actions always spoke louder than words.