Marvel: Incursio

After the formalities were done, King T'Chaka, T'Challa, Shuri, and Okoye stepped aside, leaving Liam standing in front of the people who would join his organization.

Liam looked around at everyone, from the soldiers to the scientists. While most were nervous and some were worried, he could tell that all of them expected one thing.

'They are expecting me to say something, aren't they?' Liam thought, keeping a neutral expression. 'Makes sense. I need to show that I'm a competent leader since I will be making decisions for their lives, after all.'

The silence that had fallen created tension between everyone present. Even the Dora Milaje members looked at Liam with changing expressions while he stared them all down. Then, Liam raised one hand in the air, instantly getting everyone's attention.

"I trust each of you are at least somewhat aware of what you are going to do," Liam spoke, loud and clear.

Seeing nods in the crowd, Liam continued.

"Good," he said, smiling before turning serious again.

"That means each of you made a choice to be here. You weren't forced. You weren't ordered. You chose to step forward when you could have stayed behind.

"That choice means something. It means you are open-minded. It means you are willing to take action and walk an unknown path—a path that will be dangerous, unpredictable, and, at times, without mercy.

"But it's also a path that will prepare you for the future. Whether you fight or not, whether you stand or fall, those who take the first steps into the unknown will always be remembered.

"I don't expect perfection," Liam's voice echoed. "I don't expect blind loyalty."

Taking a short pause, he looked through the crowd before continuing.

"I expect only this—that you stand by your choice. That when the time comes, you do not run. That you prove to yourselves and to those watching that you aren't afraid, that you are courageous and will not abandon your friends, comrades, country and even the world around you."

Pointing at them, Liam continued, serious.

"If you are ready for that, then follow me. If not, leave now. No shame, no punishment. But understand this—once you take this step, there is no going back. Even Wakanda won't be able to protect you if you try to do so."

His speech had a great impact on the group of fifty people, who stood there, nervous, with serious expressions on their faces. But as Liam had expected, there were no real cowards who would leave here.

Nodding, Liam showed a smile as he turned around. He held one hand in front of him while drawing a circle in the air with the other.

Orange sparks appeared in the middle of the sky. Far above them, a tiny circle appeared. The tiny circle grew larger and larger, creating a giant portal through which a group of 50 people could easily fit at the same time.

On the other side of the portal, a large, almost empty courtyard made of stone appeared. In the middle of the courtyard stood two people in traditional robes, whom Liam naturally knew.

He had talked to Wong and Drumm beforehand, letting them know how many people he would bring and when he would do so. This gave them the ability to empty the courtyard and welcome the guests they would be training for the next few months.

As the giant portal fully opened, shock was clearly visible on everyone's faces. When even King T'Chaka and his entourage were surprised by the size of the portal, it's easy to imagine how shocked the normal border army members, who had never seen something like this before, would be.

"This is a portal," Liam said, turning around. "It will bring you to where you'll be staying for the next few months."

"On the other end stand the two masters who will be mainly responsible for your training over the next few months, so make sure you respect them," he continued. "Everything else will be arranged and explained by them."

"Now go," Liam said, gesturing to the portal.

While some of the people in the front row hesitated for a moment, others walked towards the portal at a quick pace, excited to learn about magic. And then, like the saying goes, a few go through, and the pack follows right after.

On the other end of the portal, Wong looked at the group before turning to Master Drumm.

Wong, folding his arms, sighed. "Fifty students at once? I hope they learn fast."

Master Drumm nodded. "They don't seem that bad. At least they look disciplined."

"Am I supposed to be some kind of public school teacher now?" Wong mumbled, complaining about having to teach 50 people at once.

Wong's cursing made Master Drumm smile as they both looked at the group of people that had stepped through the portal.

"Alright, everyone, let's get you all settled first," Master Drumm said, looking at the group of fifty people.

Meanwhile, Liam closed the portal behind the group and turned back to King T'Chaka and his group, who were approaching him.

"Good speech," Shuri said, raising a thumb.

"Thank you," Liam nodded, smiling.

"These people followed you out of their own free will—make sure that trust in you isn't misplaced," King T'Chaka said, reaching out for another handshake.

"I will make sure of it," Liam responded, shaking his hand.

Next, T'Challa gave him a handshake while complimenting Liam's speech and making some small talk.

After all the formalities were finished, Liam said his goodbyes and opened another smaller portal. This one, however, didn't lead to Kamar-Taj; instead, it led to a familiar, dark alleyway.

Liam closed the portal behind him and walked towards the sound of cars, coming from the main street. Holding his hand against the front of the hat, which made sure no one could see his horns underneath, he blocked out the bright sunlight hitting him upon exiting the alleyway.

Liam reached for his nose with his other hand, smelling the extremely disgusting odors of Los Angeles while smiling. His arm was completely covered, even wearing gloves to make sure no one could see the scales.

'I swear the scales should have been gone by now, like after my previous transformations,' Liam thought, confused as to why they were still there. 'This is something I'll have to properly look at later. Something feels off.'

'It's already been a couple of days since I last used Incursio, after all.'

Looking at the large, glass skyscraper in front of him, he focused again.

'I'll worry about it later,' he thought, switching back to serious. 'First, I have some money to make.'