Young Avengers: The Weird, weird West

Chapter 7: Bloodmeat and the Royal hunt

As Wiccan, Hulkling, and Ghost Rider approached Genghis Khan's camp,they began to realize their work may be cut out for them. As they mounted the last ridge,on their horses taken from the Hobart gang, they glimpsed a horde of Mongol warriors trotting off to battle the troops of Napoleon and Alexander. The three warlords were certainly confused in the wake of the disaster which has swept them and their people into the distant future and a foreign land; and like all great generals, their first instinct when confused is to fight. In their eyes, everything has once again become a struggle for survival.

Khan's camp is a circle of over 20 spired tents. As they drew near, they counted over a thousand Mongolian troopers. There was constant traffic in and out of the camp. It seemed as if some of the men and women were building some sort of makeshift structure in the center of the tent circle. One particularly ornate tent caught the eyes of the hero team. It was almost certainly where they would find Genghis Khan.

Hulkling used his natural shape shifting ability, Wiccan cast a glamour spell, and The Ghost Rider's magical costume disguised the 3 as Mongolians. The three simply walked through the camp and confronted Khan in his command tent. Not recognizing the three Khan immediately saw through their disguises. "Who are you? Why have you come here? Spies for my enemies, perhaps? Betrayors?! Whatever your intentions may be, I pray to the sun and stars that you are not such weak, niggling cowards. I despise weakness; it makes me physically ill. Strength, that is what I respect. With strength one can build an empire." Genghis barked.

It was then that Wiccan explained the Krozzar plot, and the importance of forging an alliance with his current 2 adversaries. Ghost Rider added that they may be able to send everyone back to their proper time and space as long as the Krozzar assault is halted. However, Khan remained skeptical of the Young Avengers and Ghost Rider, as neither he nor any of his men had even heard of the Krozzar. Just after the Young Avengers and Khan finished speaking, a young mongol soldier entered and delivered an announcement: "Lord Khan, the arena is finished and your warriors are waiting to entertain you. The games are about to begin."

Khan then left for the makeshift arena his troops had constructed, after inviting the Young Avengers to join him.

Khan and his men led the Young Avengers outside to a giant wooden pen the troopers were building on their way into the camp. Two huge mongols stood at either end of the pen, both ready to charge forward and fight. It seemed that all the warriors in the mongol camp had clustered around to watch the battle.

Khan began to speak. "You two are my best warriors; one of you will take over as my second-in-command. We will decide which of you is to receive the promotion as our people have always decided such things: through a test of strength. May the best man win."

The match ensued for about 10 minutes before one Mongol defeated the other, delighting the crowd to no end. In order to impress Khan and the Mongols, in an effort to enforce the importance of an alliance, Hulkling stepped forward to challenge the new Mongolian champion. Khan was very impressed by the Young Avengers for stepping into the ring and putting up a good fight.

Soon the Young Avengers found themselves on horses loaned by Genghis Khan himself, and invited to accompany the man on his Royal Hunt. Before they left, Khan received a report from one of his officers concerning the fate of a raiding party he had sent out to harass Napoleon's troops. Then Khan and four of his warriors accompanied the Young Avengers on horseback out into a nearby cluster of woods to begin the hunt. Apparently, the hunt had only a ceremonial significance. From what they had seen earlier, the Mongols had all the supplies they needed.

After they had an opportunity to catch some game, the hunting party caught sight of several horsemen storming into the woods behind them. The horsemen we're Napoleonic cavalrymen, who were dispatched to kill Genghis Khan, this robbing the mongols of their leader and weakening them against possible attack.

For helping the Mongols in the attack, and saving Khan's life personally, they had garnered his respect through their diplomacy. Khan agreed to stop fighting against Alexander and Napoleon, and asks to set up a moot with them immediately to discuss strategy against the mutual enemy of the Krozzar.