Spider-Man Mayhem

Chapter 227: Chapter 227: Savage Lands (4)



[Third Person's PoV]

There was a large stack of bones as they all patted their stomachs with content looks.

"Who would have thought we'd enjoy a five-star meal all the way out here?" Nightwing said with a sigh.

Shanna and Ka-Zar looked at them oddly.

"You all sure can eat, huh…" Shanna teased.

Spider-Man rubbed the back of his head in slight embarrassment. "Because of our powers, we have a high metabolism, which means we need to eat a whole lot more."

Zabu, Ka-Zar's saber-toothed tiger, was seen contently chewing and scraping his long saber teeth along a large bone.

Ka-Zar then stood up from where they sat and headed back inside. A second later, he returned with a spear slung across his back.

"Are you all ready?" he asked suddenly.

"Ready for what?" Firestar asked, looking at Ka-Zar with an odd gaze.

"For your tour," Ka-Zar said, tilting his head in confusion. "Wasn't that the entire reason you've been following me like lost little cubs?"

They all exchanged glances, communicating through MJ's psychic link. Since they wanted to explore the Savage Land, who better to guide them than one of its long-time residents?

They picked themselves up off the ground, dusted themselves off, and agreed.

"Thank you," they all said, appreciating his willingness to help them.

Ka-Zar grunted in response, while Shanna stood up and dusted off her hands. "I'll come along as well. It could be fun… not to mention, I'd really like to get to know you all better. You seem like an interesting bunch."

Shanna retrieved her spear and a set of hunting tools she used for protection. Once everyone was ready, they began their journey through the Savage Land.

As they trekked through the forest, they talked and got to know one another.

"So tell me," Shanna asked, "are you all really superheroes where you're from? Like, do you save people from burning buildings, stop robberies, all that sort of thing?"

"Oh yeah," Spider-Kat answered. "All the time. We've stopped heists and fought a couple of supervillains too."

Shanna showed genuine interest in their lives as heroes and wanted to ask more questions. However, she wasn't the only one curious. Ghost-Spider was particularly fascinated by the wildlife.

"Does this place have any medicinal herbs? Ones you wouldn't normally find in our world?" she asked Shanna.

"There are quite a few, actually," Shanna replied. "But you have to be careful with them. If you don't mix them properly with other herbs, you won't be creating medicine—you'll be making poison."

Ghost-Spider nodded thoughtfully. "I know. I'm the biologist-slash-scientist of the group, which is why I'm asking. I was thinking maybe I could take a few seeds or plants back and grow them myself. There could be plants here that hold solutions for long-standing medical problems that still don't have cures."

"I see…" Shanna nodded in understanding. "So does everyone here have a specific role in the team? I know you're the scientist, but what about the others?"

Ghost-Spider nodded again. "Yes, we all have specific roles that complement each other."

"Take me, for example~," Spider-Kat said, twirling and flipping a knife expertly in her hands.

Shanna blinked, her eyes widening as she realized the knife looked familiar. She instinctively checked her side and found her knife was missing.

She stuck her hand out toward Spider-Kat with a straight expression. Spider-Kat chuckled and handed the knife back.

"Stealing isn't very heroic," Shanna said, rolling her eyes and securing the knife to her side.

Spider-Kat winked. "It is when it's for the right reasons. Let's say someone has a detonator in their pocket during a hostage situation. Without them even noticing, the button would already be in my hands."

"Touché," Shanna admitted, nodding in agreement. She could see the heroic application in Spider-Kat's example.

Meanwhile, Scarlet-Spider and Ghost-Spider were looking off to the side, narrowing their eyes at something beyond the trees.

"You see that, right?" Scarlet-Spider asked.

"Yeah, I see it," Ghost-Spider sighed.

"See what?" Ka-Zar asked, already shifting into a cautious stance.

"In front of us," Scarlet-Spider said, "there are about fifty men. It looks like they're setting up an ambush and waiting."

Shanna and Ka-Zar exchanged knowing glances.

"Does your power give you a way to see what they look like?" Ka-Zar asked.

Both Ghost-Spider and Scarlet-Spider closed their eyes, using their clairvoyance.

"They seem to be wearing some sort of green armor," Scarlet-Spider said as she concentrated. "They're all wielding weapons—swords, axes, spears, you name it."

Ghost-Spider added, "And hidden among them are bird-like animals with saddles…"

"Swamp Men," Shanna and Ka-Zar said simultaneously, letting out a sigh.

"Come on. They must be up to no good," Ka-Zar said. He climbed up a tree and grabbed a vine. "Try and keep up." With that, he began swinging away.

"We can really be like Tarzan!" Nightwing said excitedly. He grabbed a thick vine and began swinging. "AHHHHH! AAAAAAAAHHHH!!" he yelled, mimicking jungle noises.

The others chuckled, shooting their webs toward the trees to follow suit.

Spider-Man, bringing up the rear, turned to Firestar. "Careful with your powers—you could start an entire forest fire if you're not careful."

Firestar nodded and opted to swing on a vine instead of flying.

The rustling of leaves and the sound of webs shooting through the forest echoed around them.

It wasn't long before they reached the area where the Swamp Men were lying in wait. Ghost-Spider and Scarlet-Spider, who had taken the lead, suddenly stopped and raised their hands to signal the others.

"They're just a few feet ahead," Scarlet-Spider warned.

"Hm, that makes sense. We're close to the border of their territory," Shanna informed them.

"So, what's the plan of attack?" Firestar asked.

Surprisingly, Spider-Man and Ka-Zar spoke in unison. "To attack."

They exchanged smirks, clearly impressed with their shared sense of simplicity.

"I like that plan," Nightwing said with a grin, springing into action.

Grabbing his Escrima sticks from his back, Nightwing leaped forward. His lenses had already highlighted enemy positions and the traps scattered around the battlefield. He swung one stick at a tree, allowing it to ricochet perfectly, striking a Swamp Man square in the head and knocking him out. The stick bounced back into his hand as Nightwing flipped off the tree and landed smoothly on the ground, charging ahead.

The others followed closely. Spider-Man swung between the trees, flipping through the air before unleashing a torrent of impact webs. The webs slammed into several Swamp Men, sending them flying into each other as they became entangled. Swinging to the ground, Spider-Man delivered a crushing kick to one opponent's face, shattering their armor and leaving them dazed and unconscious.

Spider-Kat landed nearby, her claws extended and gleaming. She moved with fluid precision, cutting through weapons and armor alike. Her strikes were quick and brutal—slashing through defenses, tossing enemies into one another, and incapacitating them with ease. One Swamp Man lunged at her, only to be elbowed unconscious. Spider-Kat followed with a web shot to another's face, yanking him down into her knee with bone-crunching force.

Ghost-Spider and Scarlet-Spider worked in perfect harmony, moving as though they were performing an intricate dance. Ghost-Spider swung Scarlet-Spider around by the wrists, allowing her to deliver spinning kicks to the Swamp Men. Scarlet-Spider crouched low as Ghost-Spider vaulted over her back into a handstand, using her legs to fend off attackers with acrobatic precision.

Firestar, on the other hand, didn't rely on flashy moves. She heated her fists until they ignited with small explosions, sending Swamp Men flying into trees. When one swung an axe at her, the blade melted away before it could touch her, leaving the attacker holding a stickless handle. Firestar raised an eyebrow at his astonishment before spinning into a powerful kick that knocked him out cold.

Nightwing was a whirlwind of movement. He blocked a sword strike with his Escrima stick, countering with an electric shock to his opponent's neck. Smashing through a spear with ease, he unleashed a three-kick combo that sent another Swamp Man flying. Combining his sticks into a bo staff, he spun it expertly, breaking bones and knocking enemies off their feet. With a smirk, Nightwing hurled the staff, watching it ricochet between Swamp Men like a pinball.

Spider-Man caught the bo staff mid-air without even glancing behind him. Twirling it around his body, he channeled electric energy into the weapon, causing it to hum with power. 

Seeing what Spider-Man was doing the others used their opponents as springboards and jumped up into the air into a graceful backflip. 

With a graceful flip, Spider-Man planted the staff into the ground. It acted as a lightning rod, discharging all the stored electricity into the earth. The remaining Swamp Men screamed as they were electrocuted, collapsing unconscious.

In unison, the team landed, each dropping to one knee, hand braced against the ground. Spider-Man yanked the staff from the earth and slung it over his shoulders with a smug grin.

Shanna and Ka-Zar stood off to the side, mouths agape at the display of coordinated chaos.

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