Chapter 138 - [90]

Bast's interest peaked, "Oh, and what might it be?"

Even Max wanted to know the answer.

Madam Web looked at Max again, "You should have Ubasti's Hern on you? Do you not? The necklace…"

Even Bast looked at Max with a wide eyed expression. Max almost forgot the useless necklace that he couldn't get rid of, and seeing that it was important to the Panther Lady was new, even for Max.

"Yes." Max nodded, as he tried to produce the magical artifact. The necklace took shape around Max's neck, like how it usually did. Max couldn't separate from it. As if it was bonded to him, funny thing it was.

The Panther deity looked at the necklace, before pulling it towards her, to get a closer look. The necklace separated from Max and flew towards her.

Looking at the golden curved pendant she was sure. It was hers.

"By Amon-Ra, it's my necklace all right." She looked at Max. "Tell me boy, where did you find it?!"

This time she was serious. But Max had nothing to hide, so he told her what had happened in Egypt. Hiding some facts as to how he got there.

"That bastard Sekhmet, she said that she forgot. I will have her neck the next time I see her." She said, but she looked too happy to care what came out of the mouth. She was playing with the necklace, thumbing it with care.

'Cats and their shiny things.' Max sighed. 'Even so-called goddesses aren't immune to it.'

"So, Lady Bast. Would you please bring her back?" Max asked. No point in being rude. He was the one who needed the panther deity's help.

"Oh, yes. And done." She said snapping her fingers. "Now off you go. Shoo…" she said, as she made a shooing gesture with her hands, as Max's consciousness started fading.

But she —as if remembering something— pulled her hand back, yanking awake Max's conscious. Max would have emptied his stomach, vomiting, if he wasn't a symbiote.

"Um, before you leave." She said, as the Ubasti's Hern disappeared from her hands. She coughed to clear her throat, sitting up right. "You Max have gained my favor. Ask something and it shall be granted." She said, and Max could have sworn he saw purple light flashing from behind her.

She was new to the goddess job, maybe. He shrugged. Max thought for sometime, before he asked. Two things in exact.

The Panther deity hummed. "I was hoping for something more… something more Grand. But it's easy for me to grant. Though I am not sure as to how this will be useful to you." She then shrugged, waving her hands as Max's body gave of a purple glow. "And about your second wish, you have to find a mentor and luckily for you I have just the one. I can't imbue that knowledge on to you, you have to learn it yourself."

Max nodded.

"It's not that I can't." The panther deity hummed. "Usually you would have to pass some tests, but I am willing to make an exception. It's just that, you would have to be my champion to do so…" she smiled.

But Max didn't answer. He knew what being her champion meant, it was a modern day slave contract, and being immortal didn't help.

"I have to respectfully decline." It was Madam Web who spoke. "He's already my champion."

Bast looked disappointed just for a second, before returning to her youthful appearance. "Yeah, but a woman could always try." She shrugged, as if she knew it.

Which made Max have even more questions. And he was about to ask them when Bast made the shooing gesture once again, and he lost his consciousness.

Max woke up, with a headache. Before growling like a girl, cursing like one too. But then he remembered his voice wasn't this girlish. 'Cat got my tongue?'

He was still bonded to Shuri, and she was awake. She was cursing like a sailor yes. But she was okay.

'By God I was worried about you.' Max said in their shared mind link.

She g.r.o.a.n.e.d, feeling groggy. 'What happened?' she growled.

'Just relax, okay.' Max said. He knew it was coming…

And then Shuri's memories started returning and the trauma hit her like a truck. Max tried his best to calm the girl. She was handled rather poorly by the Vanyan. And getting your soul ripped off from your body and sacrificed wasn't the experience either.

Max separated from her. Talking inside was a bit odd to his liking. And she needed a friend right now, not a strength booster. "Hey, don't worry it was just a bad dream." He said, as he creased her hair, she was leaning on him, sobbing and shivering due to fright.

She almost balled up like a kitten due to it. Max felt anger and dreadfulness, he was late. He wasn't prepared. And now she was suffering from it.

This went on for some time, and the calmness of the city of dead, Necropolis also made it worse. The old tombs weren't a place where one should stay long. And that's not adding the fact that a giant size cat lived here. Though the garden of Heart Shaped Herb was a rather beautiful place.

"Hey, we should leave this place" He asked. She didn't answer. She was still afraid, afraid if he left Max, she would return to mud. "I am sorry." Max said. "If I was just a bit faster…"

"N-No." She said, even her words were uneven. "I saw what you did." She forced herself to smile. "Thank you. You came. And you saved me… once again."

Max sighed. But Shuri had more to say.

"You know Max." She said. "You, brother, Peter, Bayak and even Zuke." She said the last name with more remorse, so she knew. "You guys have such amazing abilities. And I…"

Max stopped her. "By amazing abilities you mean, we can take and give back a few punches." He said. "Don't undersell your achievements. You are more smart then all of us combined. And I did see what you did to the aircrafts. That was quick work." He added.

Shuri gave a small smile, but she still was feeling useless. Zuke gave her life to protect her, she would have died, if not for Max. She didn't know what had happened, but she knew Max had something to do with her returning.

"By the way, you have white hair now."

"What?" she asked, grabbing her hair. Her jet black Hair was now pale albino white, even her eyebrows. "Well, at least something came out good. Now I look like Ororo. Huh, dying isn't all bad."

Max snorted. "Don't get any ideas, miss. But I have to ask. You should be able to feel it now."

"Feel what?"

"Well, you are an unofficial Black Panther."

And Shuri's eyes went wide. But then she felt it, her senses were sharp and she felt stronger. Much more so. "By Bast. How did that happened."

"Well, it's a long story. But we should be returning." Max said, standing up. "Wanna fly."

She didn't say anything. Even though she was trying to play it off. She was scared, Max could see her shivering due to it. But he didn't say anything.

He shrugged, bonding to her. At least this way, she would move. Growing wings and storming off into the night sky. The sun was already rising when they got back to Wakanda.

------- (A/N) ---------

Still no idea of what I should name my story. Guys please help me.

Any cool names related to Mage or Magic will do.

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