While engraving the core of Final Empowerment was typically the most complex and delicate stage of the entire creation process, Marcus's enhanced strength and precise energy control made the work manageable. His hands remained perfectly steady as he carved microscopic void-script symbols into the crystalline matrix.
"Almost finished, Talos," Marcus said without looking up from his work. "Just need to complete the final binding sequences."
Talos, still wearing Fury's appearance, settled into a nearby chair to observe the process. As a Skrull who had witnessed Marcus's devastating combat effectiveness against both Kree and Chitauri forces, he was intensely curious about the source of such power.
"What exactly are you creating?" Talos asked, watching void energy flow between Marcus's fingers like liquid shadow.
"Something interesting that I'll be able to field-test very soon," Marcus replied, his concentration split between conversation and the delicate engraving work.
The final steps required absolute precision. Marcus carefully extracted the concentrated nightmare essence from the dimensional artifact and began inscribing it directly into the empowerment core's crystalline structure. The process was like performing surgery on reality itself—one wrong move could destabilize the entire enhancement.
When the last symbol was complete, a brilliant silver-white empowerment core materialized before them, its surface pulsing with subtle luminescence that seemed to bend light around its edges.
"Perfect," Marcus said with satisfaction, then immediately channeled void energy to integrate the empowerment into his own energy matrix.
The effect was immediate and dramatic. Talos suddenly felt his consciousness becoming heavy and sluggish, as if invisible weights were being attached to his eyelids. The overwhelming urge to sleep crashed over him like a tidal wave.
"Hey, wake up," Marcus's voice cut through the encroaching darkness just as Talos was about to lose consciousness entirely. "This isn't naptime."
Talos jerked awake, his borrowed form trembling slightly as he fought off the residual effects of whatever power had just washed over him.
"What was that?" he demanded, his voice carrying a note of genuine fear.
"Dream manipulation," Marcus explained casually, as distorted waves of energy became visible around his form. "The ability to control sleep, nightmares, and the boundary between consciousness and dream states."
Talos stared at the reality-warping effects surrounding Marcus and felt cold sweat forming despite his shape-shifting physiology.
"That's absolutely terrifying," he admitted. "I'm very glad we're on the same side."
The implications were staggering. An enemy who could force entire armies into helpless slumber would be virtually unstoppable. No amount of training or equipment could defend against an attack that bypassed physical defenses entirely.
"Don't worry about it," Marcus said, reining in the nightmare energy until it was barely perceptible. "Let's go find some Hydra operatives to test this on. They've volunteered to be my experimental subjects."
The two men left the workshop and boarded Talos's stealth-capable aircraft for the flight to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Triskelion headquarters. During the journey, Marcus occupied himself with revealing the batch of Riven Crystals he'd created earlier.
Purple light flashed repeatedly in the aircraft's cabin as Marcus processed crystal after crystal, each one materializing with completely randomized enhancement properties.
[Dread +97.2% Critical Damage +84.1% Critical Chance +41.7% Status Chance -26.5% Magazine Capacity]
[Rubico Prime +129.5% Critical Chance +113.2% Damage to Grineer +69.8% Multishot -45.1% Reload Speed]
[Boar Prime +88.6% Multishot +74.4% Status Chance +121.5% Critical Damage -41.9% Magazine Capacity]
[Vectis +250% Base Damage +114.6% Critical Damage +79.2% Status Chance +90.8% Fire Rate +103.5% Electric Damage -47.6% Magazine Capacity]
[Attica +94.5% Critical Chance +89.7% Multishot +68.2% Electricity Damage -32.8% Status Duration]
With each revealed crystal, Marcus's expression grew more frustrated. The random nature of Riven enhancement was proving even more unpredictable than he'd anticipated.
"This isn't just expensive," Marcus muttered to himself. "This is like gambling with cosmic forces where the house always wins."
None of the crystals had produced the specific enhancements he'd been hoping for. Instead, he had a collection of randomly enhanced weapons that he'd never actually planned to use. The crossbow called Attica was probably the most practical of the bunch, given its dual fire and frost damage capabilities.
By the time their aircraft reached the Triskelion, Marcus still hadn't obtained a single perfect Riven Crystal, which only reinforced his growing understanding of just how difficult it would be to optimize this enhancement system.
"This is as far as I go," Talos announced as they approached the besieged S.H.I.E.L.D. facility. "The rest is up to you."
He had no desire to enter what was clearly an active combat zone, especially given Marcus's newly acquired dream manipulation abilities. The prospect of accidentally falling asleep during a firefight was deeply unappealing.
"Just make sure Fury delivers on his promise," Marcus said, then stepped out of the aircraft with the Attica crossbow materializing in his hands.
The weapon was immediately wreathed in crystalline energy as the Riven enhancement took effect, giving it an otherworldly appearance that seemed to shift between elements.
"Well, let's see what kind of fireworks this combination produces," Marcus mused, raising the crossbow toward the Triskelion's main entrance.
Whoosh.
The bolt flew true, striking the reinforced security door with a sharp impact sound.
BOOM.
The explosion was far more dramatic than Marcus had expected. The arrow detonated with enough force to tear a person-sized hole through the armored entrance, sending twisted metal fragments flying in all directions.
"Not bad," Marcus observed with approval. "Dual elemental damage creates some interesting reactions."
He could have achieved far greater destruction by channeling void energy through the weapon, but that would defeat the purpose of this exercise. Today was about testing the limits of his new enhancements, not overwhelming his targets with raw power.
As Marcus stepped through the smoking entrance, his enhanced perception immediately mapped the locations of everyone still alive within the facility. The ongoing battle between the Ghost Squad and Hydra operatives had taken a heavy toll—bodies littered the corridors, and the survivors were concentrated in several defensive positions.
"Quite a few casualties," Marcus noted as he began moving deeper into the building. "This should provide plenty of test subjects for my experiments."
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