fannishliss

Bucky, honestly, I'm not sure about this weapons cache. Are you sure it's not cursed? I mean, look at that angry monster head!

Steve, buddy, who better than me to defuse a cursed weapons cache.

Bucky!! No!!

But Stevie... look at these sweet scimitars.

...They are kind of sweet.

Besides, Kharoz said once I break the brick seal and remove these focus crystals, the curse will soon fade away.

Who the heck is Kharoz? And what does that mean, SOON fade away???

Kharoz was a warrior cursed to guard an ancient weapons cache, and he's been doing the job for millennia.

So you're gonna break the curse, Buck? Are you sure that's a good idea?

Yeah, I mean, I was taking down a smuggling ring... I think Kharoz actually helped me bring them down, since they had smuggled him and his stuff away from his original homeland.

Oh. Okay, I guess. Sorry I called him an angry monster head.

NO-no-no OFFENSE-fense-fense TAKEN-taken-taken!!

Wow, some lungs on that guy! Especially for not having any actual lungs!

I think his lungs are on another plane of existence.

I guess so! He's not even from the Earth, is he?

NO-no-no... READY TO GO HOME home home!

So, I just break this brick panel?

YES yes yes

....

FAREWELL LL LL!

...

Oh wow, Buck! He crumbled into dust!

But now he's home at last.

Gosh, and I thought we'd been serving a long time!

Yup, he had us beat.

I hope he meets up again with his loved ones in whatever Hall or Golden Fields his people go to.

I'm sure he will, Stevie.

You were right, Buck-- these really are some sweet scimitars, 'specially if they're not cursed.

Maybe call in Strange about these focus stones?

Good idea!

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Bucky and I found this trove in the bottom of a cardboard box left by the side of the road, a common way to get rid of things in my neighborhood!