A Mutant Collector Quest

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

Before I can respond, the Sabretooth tiger huffs, a low sound that rumbles through the cavern. His massive head shakes slowly, and a voice resonates in my mind, clear and firm through magic:

"Let her... rest." 

"We don't know how long it has been since she died, and we don't know the effects this unknown liquid might have on her… it's not advisable to mess with the dead," I say, agreeing with the Sabretooth's opinion. Even my meta-knowledge warns me that this is exactly the kind of scenario in the comics where someone comes back as a mutilated zombie or a monster, triggering another fight.

"Alright… let's at least take her and the other corpses to bury them properly," Shanna says with a resigned sigh, clearly affected by the heavy atmosphere.

"Let me help," I offer, using the opportunity to justify thoroughly inspecting—and discreetly looting—this place.

She nods, her expression softening as she gathers herself. Together, the three of us begin the somber task of collecting the remains, the flickering green glow of the strange liquid casting long shadows across the cavern.

After hours of effort, we manage to transport every bone and body out of the underground cavern. During the process, I also discover a variety of exotic plants and several stone tablets that appear to have been part of the priest's private collection.

Not wanting to take any chances, I burn the priest's mangled corpse, ensuring there is no possibility of him returning in some unnatural form.

The mysterious green liquid is carefully collected into plastic bottles I conjure with my ability, though I keep a small vial of it securely in my pocket for closer examination later. Alongside it, I slip a coin of pure Vibranium into my pocket—which I had gathered through Metal Constructs from the soil and the drill.

I can only hope that whatever items I am carrying on my person will remain with me if and when I manage to return to my original body.

"So, you are a billionaire, a sorcerer, and even a superhero?" Shanna asks in disbelief, sitting besides me on the ground after I have finished burying the bodies.

"That about sums it up," I say with a smile.

"This is all starting to sound more and more like a fairy tale," she says with a sigh.

"It's definitely not a fairy tale, as this place you are in right now is very dangerous, Shanna," I warn her seriously.

"Don't worry about me, Luke. I have spent most of my life in jungles. I can survive," she replies confidently.

"Still, before I leave, let me help you out," I say as I conjure a variety of emergency supplies I think she might need. I even offer to make a gun for her, but she refuses it outright, happy with just the sharp knife I gave her. I, of course, never mentioned anything about making clothes, as I didn't want her hiding away her... assets.

I also create a small transmitter, which will allow me to track this location if I ever return to this place. The transmitter is buried with the bottles of green liquid and the corpse of the Man-Thing at the base of the black mountain, which seems to be brimming with Vibranium.

I don't offer to take her back to Africa, as I know from my meta knowledge that her resurrection wasn't a simple one. Not that I could bring her back right away, anyway.

Both the spotted yellow leopard and the black leopard nuzzle against Shanna and me. I cautiously pet their soft fur, amazed by the sheer strength I can feel beneath their velvety coats. These surprisingly ferocious animals purr quietly under my touch.

"I have never seen them taking a liking to anyone this quickly before," Shanna says with a chuckle, her smile lighting up her face. "Ina and Biri must have realized you saved their lives," she adds, looking at me gratefully.

"This is the first time I have ever touched leopards," I admit with a wry smile. "I have only ever seen them from afar in zoos. Honestly, if you weren't here, I would be way too scared to even try."

"Haha, so even a powerful sorcerer like you is afraid of big cats," she teases, her laughter making her even more captivating.

"I can't imagine how anyone could call such a beautiful woman the 'She-Devil,'" I say, mesmerized by her radiant smile.

"Do you want me to show you why?" she replies, narrowing her eyes and baring her teeth playfully.

"Maybe they should call you Shanna, the Beautiful She-Devil," I say with a grin, gently brushing a bit of sand off her face.

She laughs softly, her expression turning bashful as a faint blush colors her cheeks. "These are just silly names the jungle tribes came up with," she says modestly.

Before I can respond, both Ina and Biri stand and walk away. I follow their movement with my gaze and notice Zabu returning after being away for a while.

"Does he have a name?" Shanna asks, her eyes lighting up as she notices the Sabretooth tiger surrounded by her leopards, Ina and Biri.

"Zabu," I answer, recalling his name from my meta knowledge.

In fact in the comics, Zabu was famously the companion of Ka-Zar, a boy stranded in the Savage Lands after his father's untimely death during their expedition. But in this reality, things turned out differently. I have checked before: Ka-Zar's father never made it here, and the young man himself is currently living a mundane life, finishing his college education. No Ka-Zar, Lord of the Jungle, exists in this world!

Honestly, I am relieved. I wouldn't want Ka-Zar—a knockoff Tarzan—showing up to steal this wild and stunning jungle beauty from me, I think with a smirk I glance at the fierce and alluring blonde beside me.

Roarrrr!

ROOOAR!

Two distinct roars echo nearby, making the whole party tense. I inform them that I will scout ahead as I quickly float up into the trees, approaching the source of the sounds.

From my vantage point, I notice a Spinosaurus feeding on a dead Brachiosaurus, but a T-Rex has arrived, clearly intent on 'sharing' the meal.

This is definitely the Savage Lands, where the survival of the fittest reigns supreme.

I silently retreat, not wanting to be caught in the inevitable fight between these two massive predators.

"What the hell, there are really dinosaurs here?!" I hear Shanna's yell as I spot her being chased by a pack of small Velociraptors.

"Let me help you!" I shout, extending my hand. A shimmering forcefield slams into one of the leaping raptors, hurling it away mid-air.

ROAR!

Behind her, Zabu pounces on one of the dinosaurs, slashing viciously at its neck.

GROWL! GROWL!

From the trees, both Ina and

Biri leap down, growling fiercely as they pounce on the other chasing dinosaurs in a display of raw anger.

Shanna skids to a halt, spinning around as she watches the fight. "Leave my babies alone!" she shouts in anger. Charging back into the fray, she plunges her new combat knife into the eye of one raptor and flips away from another's snapping jaws with astonishing agility.

I am not surprised by her skills, as she is a trained athlete. If her love for animals and career as a zoologist hadn't taken precedence, she could have easily competed in the Olympics.

As I was about to intervene and save the leopards from the small dinosaurs, which were obviously much more lethal to them, vines suddenly erupt from the ground, binding both of the velociraptors. "Ina, Biri!!" Shanna yells as the vines constrict around the dinosaurs, easily squeezing their struggling forms.

"Shanna, try to control the vines! Bash them into the ground or the trees!" I shout, floating down to the ground.

"What? Control the vines?" she asks in surprise, as the vines, seemingly on their own, slam the velociraptors into the ground with a heavy crunch. Shanna stands there, astonished at what just happened.

KEEE!

"You should also be more mindful of your surroundings," I say, as I conjure a crackling Electric whip with my Electricity Manipulation powers, striking the velociraptor about to pounce on Shanna. The beast collapses in a smoking heap just as I wrap my arms around her, pulling her out of harm's way from another lunging raptor.

Shanna snaps out of her daze, her flushed cheeks betraying a mix of surprise and gratitude. She glances up at me briefly before regaining her composure. With a determined expression, she refocuses and re-engages the fight, moving with renewed energy.

I, meanwhile, fight with precision, carefully targeting the dinosaurs to avoid causing a forest fire. Each strike is calculated, my electric powers taking down the creatures efficiently. At the same time, I leave room for Shanna, Zabu, and the leopards to prove themselves in combat. They will need the experience—I won't always be around to protect them.

Despite my careful approach, the battle concludes within minutes, leaving all the velociraptors lying lifeless on the blood-soaked ground.

Not wanting to linger in such a dangerous place, which would inevitably attract more predators, we all quickly decide to move to a safer location.

Zabu takes the lead, moving with familiarity through the dense undergrowth. He guides our group out of the forest and into a mist-shrouded terrain where visibility is reduced to just a few meters ahead.

"How did I control those vines?" Shanna asks, her voice still a little breathless from the fight. She is standing quite close to me now, the distance between us both having shrunk during the battle.

I notice how the mist clings to her, droplets of water catching the light on her skin. It is hard not to be aware of how hot she is, especially when all she is wearing a leather stripped bikini. And even she has caught me multiple times staring at her cleavage. 

I clear my throat, focusing on the gravity of what I need to say. "Shanna, I can't be certain, but from what you told me about the red priest's chanting and his words during the ritual, it looks like the ritual was meant to forge a connection to the Savage Lands itself," I tell her seriously. " That means you haven't just been resurrected—you have gained powers now, very powerful ones."

I pause, considering the implications. "It is also possible that your life force is now tied to the Savage Lands itself. You might not even die unless this place does."

I know this could be true, as it happened in the Marvel comics, but I am hesitant to rely on that. In the comics, the leopards, Ina and Biri, were supposed to have died in another event, and Shanna's death and resurrection would have occurred much later.

"So I can control vines now and I am... immortal?" Shanna asks, her voice laced with confusion as she touches a tree, but nothing happens.

"Take your time. With practice, it should get easier," I say gently, placing my hand over hers in support.

"Alright, I will keep trying... Also, thank you, Luke, for saving me back there," she says, her smile warm, her eyes meeting mine with gratitude and something deeper—admiration. She doesn't pull her hand away, letting it rest under mine.

"Just a thank you? This is the second time I have saved your life... shouldn't I deserve more than just that?" I say, stepping a little closer, the air between us both charged. "Maybe even a small kiss," I murmur, my voice low and husky as I near her red lips.

"Well... you did save me," she replies, her breath quickening, eyes fluttering closed.

Just as our lips are about to meet, a familiar tug pulls at me.

"Ugh, Fuck!" I groan, my surroundings blurring before I am yanked back into the kaleidoscopic expanse of glowing paths.

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