Spider-Man Mayhem

[Third Person's PoV] 

"Holy moly... That might actually be Tarzan," Spider-Kat muttered under her breath. Her voice carried a mixture of awe and disbelief as they all stood frozen, staring at the blonde-haired man before them. The stranger stood tall and unashamed, his minimalistic attire revealing a physique sculpted by years of survival in the wild.

Spider-Man cleared his throat, stepping forward with exaggerated confidence. "Do! You! Understand! The! Words! That are coming! Out! Of my mouth?!" he asked, enunciating each word slowly, as if speaking to a child.

The man's expression shifted, his eye twitching in clear irritation. Without a word, he reached to his waist, drew a gleaming knife, and lunged toward them with a feral growl.

"Guys, I don't think he understands English!" Spider-Man shouted, leaping out of the way. He twisted mid-air and delivered a spinning kick to the man's face, sending him hurtling backward into a tree with a thunderous crash.

The forest grew eerily silent for a moment before the sound of rustling bushes broke the stillness. A guttural roar erupted as a saber-tooth tiger sprang from the foliage, its gleaming fangs and razor-sharp claws aimed directly at Spider-Man.

Ghost-Spider moved with lightning speed. She spun on her heel and brought her leg down in a powerful axe kick, striking the tiger squarely on the head. The beast crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

"ZABU!" the man roared in anguish, his voice thick with fury. His eyes burned with hatred as he turned toward them, gripping his knife tightly. He prepared to charge, but Spider-Man's next move brought him to a standstill.

Spider-Man, still holding the spear he'd picked up earlier, took a deep breath. His muscles rippled visibly beneath his suit as he drew the weapon back. With a mighty throw, the spear tore through the air, whistling past the man's cheek.

The sound of trees splintering and crashing to the ground echoed behind him. The man's eyes widened in horror as he turned to witness the destruction. A trail of toppled trees and torn earth stretched far into the distance, ending with the spear embedded deeply in a massive trunk.

A single red line appeared on his cheek, a shallow cut from the spear's razor-sharp edge. The man slowly turned back to Spider-Man, his expression a mixture of shock and disbelief.

"Now… Do. You. Speak—" Spider-Man began, his voice smug.

He was cut off by a sharp smack to the back of his head from Ghost-Spider.

"YOU IDIOT!" she shouted, glaring at him.

"Ow! What?! You're ruining my intimidating atmosphere!" Spider-Man protested, rubbing the back of his helmet.

"That doesn't mean you have to destroy the ecosystem!" Ghost-Spider snapped. "This is probably a natural land reservoir! Do you realize how many endangered species might live here?!"

Spider-Man shrank slightly, mumbling, "Oops…" as the realization hit him.

Clearing his throat awkwardly, Spider-Man turned back to the man. His mask displayed a sheepish emoticon. "So, uh... are you mute?"

The man sighed and closed his eyes. "No. I'm not mute."

"He speaks?!" they all exclaimed in unison. "And in English!"

The man ignored their surprise, walking past them to kneel beside the unconscious tiger. He gently stroked its fur, his expression softening with concern.

"Don't worry," Ghost-Spider reassured him. "He's only unconscious. I didn't cause any permanent damage. He'll wake up in a few minutes."

The man nodded silently, setting his knife aside as he effortlessly lifted the massive tiger into his arms. Without another word, he turned and began walking away.

The group exchanged glances before scrambling after him.

"So, uh, Tarzan—what's your actual name?" Spider-Man asked.

"Ka-Zar," the man replied without looking back. "Lord of the Savage Lands."

"Wow," Nightwing muttered, barely containing a chuckle. "Even his name screams 'Tarzan.'"

Ka-Zar raised an eyebrow, glancing over his shoulder. "You're from the outside world, aren't you? You speak the language of the lands beyond."

"Uh, yeah," Scarlet-Spider replied. "And I guess we haven't introduced ourselves yet." One by one, they listed their hero names.

Ka-Zar's lips twitched into a faint smirk. "Odd names."

"We don't want to hear that from someone called Ka-Zar," Spider-Kat shot back, crossing her arms.

Ka-Zar ignored her, continuing his trek through the dense jungle. After a while, he turned to face them, his expression puzzled. "Why are you still following me?"

"This is our first time here," Spider-Man said sheepishly. "You're the only person we've met, so we thought… maybe you could show us around?"

"I'm busy," Ka-Zar replied curtly.

"Doing what, exactly?" Nightwing asked.

"Hunting for food," he answered bluntly.

"Oh…" They shuffled awkwardly.

Firestar hesitated before speaking. "So, um... you hunt animals here and just… eat them?"

Ka-Zar stopped and turned, his brow furrowing in utter confusion. The incredulous look on his face made Firestar blush furiously, hiding behind Nightwing in embarrassment.

Ka-Zar turned to Spider-Man and asked, deadpan, "She's not the brightest of your group, is she?" 

"Shut up!" Firestar retorted, peeking her head out still bright red, "It's just that from where we're from we don't have to witness the death of the animals in front of us, so I'm not really used to that and that's really the last thing I want to see. It's one thing seeing meat hot and ready in front of you, it's another to see it butchered" Firestar said, explaining the reason for her earlier question. 

Ka-Zar scoffed, his tone both dismissive and pitying. "You're pampered. Civilization has made you soft. Out here, there's no illusion of comfort, no convenient detachment. The sooner you accept that, the easier it will be. We have different rules in these lands, rules which help us survive, Rules which have kept me alive until now" 

There was a pause as the atmosphere grew heavy with Ka-Zar's words, as he let them digest what he just said he continued, "It's either kill or be killed. These lands are unforgiving, a single second of hesitation is the all the time a predator would need in order to finish you off" 

"I see…" Firestar muttered, feeling slightly uneasy. 

"Now this is what I like to call: A Moral Dilemma." Spider-Man stated, "We are in a completely different society where the laws and rules of engagement are completely different to one another–" 

"Shhh!" Ka-Zar said reproachingly.

Spider-Man put a hand to his chest and looked at Ka-Zar looking offended. 

Which made Nightwing chuckle, "It looks like we've finally managed to find someone to get him to shut up" He muttered, which earned a few chuckles. 

However, that also gained him a reproachful glare from Ka-Zar. And a glare from a being who has spent the majority of his life hunting and killing in the wild in order to survive was nothing short of intense, making Nightwing shrink back as well. 

Ka-Zar carefully set Zabu down and gestured for the group to stay back. Drawing his knife from his waist, he crouched low, his movements fluid and predatory. The others watched in silent awe as he stalked forward, every muscle in his body coiled like a spring.

With their enhanced senses, the group spotted his target: a large, three-horned yak-like creature grazing in the distance. It resembled a triceratops, though its thick fur betrayed its mammalian nature. Ka-Zar moved with calculated precision, each step purposeful.

Just as he was about to pounce, Ghost-Spider darted forward, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. Ka-Zar glared at her, his eyes blazing, but Ghost-Spider didn't back down. She pointed beneath the creature's shaggy fur, drawing his attention to a pair of small, wobbly legs tucked beneath it.

Ka-Zar's expression softened as he realized what she was pointing out. He sheathed his knife and rose to his full height. Turning to Ghost-Spider, he nodded respectfully. "Thank you."

"For what?" she asked, tilting her head.

Ka-Zar glanced back at the mother and her cub. "One of the rules of this land is to never hunt an animal with young. Taking the parent would doom the offspring, leading to unnecessary suffering and disrupting the balance."

"What?" Spider-Kat asked, taken aback. 

"It is why I also expressed my gratitude for stopping me" Ka-Zar began with his explanation, "If I had killed that beast, I would have had to kill the young one as well" 

Most of the girls looked towards Ka-Zar horrified but Spider-Man and Nightwing understood immediately. 

"The young wouldn't be able to survive on its own, it would have starved for weeks without its caregiver, before finally succumbing to death. So I would have had to put it out of its misery so it didn't suffer" Ka-Zar said looking towards Ghost-Spider gratefully. 

"Would… Would you have really done that?" Scarlet-Spider asked, her lips shifting uncomfortably. 

"As I also previously stated, the wild is unforgiving. It cares not of your circumstances, if you are young and have no help you would be killed" Ka-Zar said before he smiled faintly sensing Zabu waking up. 

Zabu picked up his head and licked Ka-Zar's face, making him chuckle. Zabu jumped down from his arms and Ka-Zar knelt down and scratched his ears, "Take me for an example, the only reason I've been able to survive for so long in these lands is because I had help since I was young" 

Ka-Zar pressed his forehead towards Zabu and smiled, "The only reason I am alive today… Is all thanks to Zabu's great care" 

Although the topic earlier was a morbid one, they couldn't help but smile seeing how affected Ka-Zar and Zabu were towards one another. 

 ************************************************

+5 advance Chapters on: patreon.com/Shadow_D_Monarch3