A Mutant Collector Quest

The scene feels unnervingly familiar, and my mind quickly works through the details. I deduce that this must be a ritual site, with the old man in robes as the caster. The animals—perhaps even the woman—are sacrifices, all feeding the dark ritual he is performing.

ROAARRRR!!

The tiger beside me roars urgently. I release the psionic bubble containing him, and he leaps behind a pile of dinosaur bones, his eyes focused.

"Who the hell are you?" The old man snarls, pushing himself up. "Why do people keep interfering with my work?" he grumbles in annoyance. "Just like this girl here, where did she go? Shit, did she get thrown into the pit... NO, NO, NO! That wasn't part of the ritual!" His voice cracks with panic.

"Alright, bad guy, shut up!" I retort, using Psychokinesis to lift him off the ground and forcefully shutting his mouth.

"Ughh!" Malgato snarls, red aura flaring as he abruptly breaks free from my grasp. "You dare use magic against me? I am Malgato, the last Red Priest! Let me show you—"

Before he could finish, a blur tackles him to the ground.

ROAR!!!

The saber-tooth tiger pins the old man down, his eyes bloodshot, burning with anger.

"Get off me, you stupid animal!" Malgato yells, struggling desperately.

But the words fell on deaf ears, as the tiger brings his paw down in fury!

SWIPE!

"AAARGHH!!" The wizard yells in pain as a large chunk of his clothes and flesh is torn away by the tiger's powerful claws.

Blood splatters across the tiger's face, but the fury in its eyes remains unyielding. Without hesitation, the tiger slashes again, this time raking its claws across the wizard's vulnerable neck.

Before the wizard can cast another spell, the tiger has already delivered the final blow, ending his life in a brutal, savage strike. The wizard dies a gruesome death, his body torn apart, his face and body soaked in his own blood.

The tiger repeatedly keeps striking again and again, ripping him apart. 

SWIPE! SWIPE!

"He is dead already; you can stop now," I say gently, activating my Angelic Aura as I place a calming hand on the tiger's back.

My words seem to reach the tiger. It ceases its frenzied attack, standing atop the wizard's mangled corpse, its heavy breaths gradually steadying.

ROOAAARR!!

The tiger lets out another roar, but this time, it is not one of fury—it is a deep, mournful cry filled with sorrow and loss.

I remain silent, my hand softly stroking its back, offering what little comfort I can as I feel the weight of his pain. 

SPLASH!

Just then the green liquid in the pit suddenly parts as someone emerges from within.

It is a blonde woman. She stands shakily within the pit, her body glistening with the clinging green substance. She is wearing a leopard-patterned bra and panties, the liquid highlighting her sexy curves while leaving little to the imagination.

Gulp

I audibly swallow, captivated by the vision of the wet, hot bombshell before me.

"Ugh... cough, cough!" She coughs up green liquid, stumbling forward. I react swiftly, stepping into the pool and catching her just as she nearly collapses.

"Easy there." I say in a soothing voice.

"Co... cough... cough!" She continues retching up more of the liquid as I steady her, one arm wrapped gently around her soft waist.

"Let me get you out of here," I say, trying to sound gentlemanly. Lifting her effortlessly, I carry her out of the viscous liquid and place her on solid ground.

She sits up, rubbing her eyes groggily. For a fleeting moment, I regretted not giving her mouth-to-mouth—just to be sure, of course.

"Who... cough... are you?" she asks, her voice raspy, as she focuses on me through her beautiful watery hazel eyes.

"Miss Shanna, I am Lucas Watson," I reply, conjuring a bottle of water with my Data Warping power and offering it to her. My eyes though can't help but glance at her nearly naked, sexy body. Her wet, heaving chest catches my attention as each cough makes her breasts jiggle slightly.

"You know me?" she asks warily, her tone laced with caution as she continues to catch her breath. Her eyes shift towards the bottle in my hand, but she hesitates to take it.

Although I don't have my Focus or D.A.I.S.Y. with me, the combination of my earlier deductions about this place and the presence of the Sabretooth Tiger leads me to a clear conclusion: the woman before me must be Shanna O'Hara.

Shanna O'Hara—a zoologist who, after a tragic incident, abandoned urban life to live among the animals she sought to protect.

Her legend precedes her, with countless stories and even viral YouTube videos about the female protector of Africa's wildlife. They speak of the She-Devil, a fierce guardian who descends upon poachers with her two leopards, Ina and Biri, bringing swift justice to those who harm the innocent creatures of the wild.

Of course, I know even more about her thanks to my meta-knowledge. In the comics, she bears the same title: Shanna the She-Devil, a name as fearsome as her reputation.

Although in Marvel media, Shanna was more famously known as the wife of Ka-Zar, Marvel's own Tarzan, but still her individual exploits carried their own weight.

I already have her in my Index, and as far as I was aware, she should have been still happily swinging through the jungles of Africa. Of course, it's best to hear her account directly of how she ended up here.

"You are famous on the internet as the She-Devil, Miss Shanna," I say, my voice calm but deliberate. "I also remember seeing you during the tragic incident at the Central Park Zoo some years ago." The memory flickers in my mind—how someone had gone mad in the park and killed several animals in a senseless rampage. It was a significant incident, and Shanna had stepped into the spotlight, strongly condemning the perpetrator in the media.

Before I can say more, Shanna suddenly yells, "Ina, Biri!" Her voice is laced with desperation as she pushes herself up, racing towards the two bleeding leopards. "No… no, they will die at this rate!" she cries out, her hands trembling as she applies pressure to their neck wounds in a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding.

"Let me," I say gently, a soft smile on my face as blue flames ignite on my hands.

"What are you doing?!" Shanna shouts, her voice a mix of panic and fury as she pushes against me with all her strength. She's strong, but nowhere near my level, so her attempts don't even budge me.

Still, I remain patient, my tone calm as I try to reassure her. "Just watch, Shanna," I say softly, letting the blue fire spread across the leopards' neck wounds. The flames move delicately, sealing the injuries with remarkable precision and stopping the bleeding entirely.

Shanna watches in stunned silence, her anger giving way to awe. "Are you a magician too?" she asks, her voice tinged with both suspicion and curiosity as she observes the leopards' rapid recovery.

Within moments, both Ina and Biri begin to stir. Their eyes flutter open, and with visible effort, they rise to their feet, albeit a little unsteady.

Growl

The soft, affectionate sound catches her attention. Both leopards lean into her, their growls gentle and full of emotion.

"Oh, my precious darlings," Shanna cries, her voice trembling as tears spill down her cheeks. "I am so, so sorry for putting you in so much danger. I thought... I thought I lost you both!" She throws her arms around them, hugging them tightly as her sobs fill the cavern.

It is a tearful scene but I can't help but notice her big boobs being squeezed against them, making me feel a bit jealous. 

Suddenly, Shanna looks up, her expression shifting from relief to confusion. "The red priest... what happened to him? And... I... I was stabbed..." Her hand moves to her chest, where the dagger had been lodged before. She looks down to inspect the area, her eyes widening in shock as she finds nothing—no wound, no scar.

Her voice trembles as she looks at me, seeking answers. "I died. I know I did. So how...? And where did that old man go?"

"The red priest is dead now, courtesy of the sabretooth tiger over there," I say, gesturing towards the massive feline. It stands by the lifeless body of a female sabretooth tiger, gently licking her fur. The sorrow in his posture is unmistakable, the tiger mourning a loss that words could never convey.

I had watched as he approached the corpse earlier, and in that moment, everything clicked into place. It was her scent the tiger had been following all along. Seeing her lifeless body, the tiger was overcome with overwhelming rage and anguish, driving it to end the priest's life. That is why I chose not to intervene, understanding the tiger's need to vent its fury.

Shanna glances at the tiger and then at the mangled remains of the red-robed priest. Her face reflects a mixture of confusion and unease.

"I... I don't know what to think right now," she admits, her voice heavy with emotion. Then she looks at me, her expression softening into one of gratitude. "But thank you. Thank you for saving me... for saving us." Her arms tighten around her two leopards, her relief palpable as they nuzzle her affectionately.

"Can you tell me what exactly happened here?" I ask gently. "I might be able to shed some more light on this incident."

I already have a good idea of what transpired, but hearing her account could confirm the pieces I have put together.

"Yes..." Shanna begins, her voice steady despite the weight of her words. She recounts how she was tracking a series of elephant disappearances in her jungle when she stumbled upon the strange old man. She explains how her pursuit ended abruptly when she was captured, waking up to find herself caged in this underground lair.

She continues, describing the events she witnessed, including the horrifying moment when she was stabbed in the heart. Her hand briefly brushes the spot on her chest, as if expecting to find a scar.

"Hmm, so this is really the Savage Land... that is great news," I murmur, a hidden smile tugging at my lips. The revelation excites me more than I care to show. Arriving here through the portal feels like hitting the jackpot!

Through my meta-knowledge, I am well aware of the Savage Land's significance. A hidden tropical paradise within the frozen expanse of Antarctica, it is a place of wonders—but not a natural one. Its existence is due to alien technology that preserves and conceals it from the rest of the world.

My thoughts race with possibilities. The resources of this land are unparalleled. Even just the Vibranium I stumbled upon here could fundamentally alter all my plans for the future. 

"So you were really resurrected... and this is the main cause," I say, stepping closer to the corpse of a wooden tree creature sprawled on the ground.

My meta-knowledge identifies it immediately—a variant of Man-Thing, one of Marvel's more enigmatic and powerful beings. In this timeline, he is still a man, a happy professor who hasn't yet undergone the transformation into the iconic creature of legend.

The Savage Land never ceases to amaze me. With its ancient origins and the layers of alien technology and primal magic embedded within, this place is a treasure trove of the extraordinary. Resurrection is just one of the many miraculous phenomena this land harbours.

"Was this your partner?" Shanna's soft voice pulls me from my thoughts. She approaches the tiger, gently running her hand across its fur.

The tiger pauses, nodding slowly, his movements heavy with grief.

"Maybe we can revive her too?" Shanna asks, her hopeful eyes turning towards me.