Synopsis / Summary / Plot
A detachment of the Costa Verde army is camped outside the ancient city that has replaced the Kamekeri village. They're waiting for orders after Iron Man and Wasp (last issue) asked them to wait while they flew to the capital. The Avengers need to convince the government that if the soldiers pass the magic barrier surrounding the city they will be converted to barbarian warriors serving Kulan Gath. Meanwhile last issue Scarlet Witch arranged for herself and the other 4 Avengers plus Silverclaw to enter unaffected. But then they were drugged and captured.
Kulan Gath has them in enchanted chains watching as he calls on Shuma-Gorath, the N'Garai and other dark gods to allow him to join them as a god. He offers them a sacrifice of the Avengers and Peliali the local volcano goddess along with the inhabitants of the city. And his 1st act as a god will be to destroy the Earth as he leaves it.
Meanwhile Wasp has little joy persuading the President of Costa Verde and his generals to stand down. Even if they believe her, national pride insists that they deal with the problem themselves. But Iron Man has a suggestion.
Gath has started siphoning Peliali's life-force. The Avengers strain to get free. Lupe (Silverclaw) notices that 1 of the temple dancers is an old schoolfriend Esme and tries to break the spell on her, but is rewarded by an electric lightning-bolt from a guard's spear. But another guard wonders why there are only 6 intruders in chains when the scryers detected 7 last issue. Cue the shadowed mystery man from the last 2 issues running past.
Goliath's cage has a spell to stop him from changing size, but he finds that he can fight past the pain and gets small enough to slip through the bars. A guard fires his spear at him but Henry Pym has positioned himself so it hits Warbird. And she can absorb electrical energy, enabling her to break her bonds. And then targeted bursts free the other Avengers. And Henry Pym resumes giant-size again. They prepare to face Kulan Gath's army ...
... when Iron Man and Wasp arrive at the head of the Costa Verdan army. When Wanda Maximoff last issue created the method by which the Avengers beat the barrier around the city she did it by mixing magic with modern technology. She ensorcelled some spare comms chips from IM's armour and gave 1 to each Avenger. She gave 1 each to IM and Wasp too, and apparently the Golden Avenger set up a comms link between his chip and the army's radios hoping this would extend the spell to them. And it worked.
Gath responds with individually-directed spells which turn a tank to a man on a war-elephant, and a jeep to a mounted horseman. And these soldiers are now loyal to *him*. The Witch creates a hex sphere to deflect such bolts from her team, but she can't keep it up for long. Shellhead and Warbird take to the skies to fight lightning-bolt hurling hawk-riders.
Silverclaw is the daughter of Peliali and the prophesied defender of her village. She is a shapeshifter and while KG is busy attacking the others she creeps up behind him and leaps on him as a silver jaguar. But even her anger and desperation to save her mother are not enough. The wizard hurls her away and launches another spell that turns villagers into demons (as it did last issue in the tavern), and battle commences.
In the midst of the fight Triathlon notices Iron Man brought down by hawk-rider bolts, and landing in the path of 2 stampeding war elephants. The new recruit overcomes his antipathy towards Shellhead and uses his triple speed and strength to move him out of the way. And She-Hulk beats up the elephants.
With the Avengers all occupied Kulan Gath turns back to Peliali. The gate to godhood he has been waiting for is nearly open and he prepares to kill her to complete the spell. But then Silverclaw stands atop a prominent building and addresses the crowd in a loud voice. She exhorts the villagers to remember they are the Kamekeri and Peliali is their guardian goddess, to deny this false new master Gath. And her words start to pull them out of the spell that binds them. KG prepares to slay her with a firebolt but another arm (with a yellow costume and black glove) sends a blast which is enough to sting him and make his shot go awry. But as Gath turns to Peliali again the awakening belief of the villagers strengthens her against him. And her defiance increases that belief until the crowd starts chanting her name.
The wizard strikes Peliali with a dagger. There's a blinding explosion. The gate gapes wide but darkens. And tentacles reach out to ensnare him and drag him through. But Gath realises *he* is being taken as sacrifice instead of the goddess, and pleads with the dark gods in vain. They take him and the gate closes.
The village and villagers are back to normal. Lupe finds her mother dying from the dagger blow. She asks why Peliali hid from her and the people. The goddess replies that this world is no place for her. She should have left long ago with the other Kamekeri gods. But now she can die knowing that her daughter is their to protect the valley.
The next day when everything has been put to rights the Avengers fly their quinjet back to the US, Silverclaw with them to continue her college education - but maybe she'll change her courses to include Criminology, Psychology and Mythology. Jan and Wanda offer her a place as a Reserve Avenger. Hank Pym has been feeling below par since 1st entering the city in #28, and Jan Van Dyne makes him promise to undergo tests to see what's wrong. Iron Man and Triathlon shake hands as fellow Avengers. And nobody notices the extra miniature passenger in the yellow and black Yellowjacket costume.