"That god you mentioned, is he strong?" Tony Stark asked, puzzled.
"He is not about strong or weak. He is... unusual," Riku said, then ran out of patience. "I have never seen those gods go all out. They usually command parts of the laws themselves. Anyway, we should go. If you stay here too long, the radiation will do you no favors."
He needed to get Tony out quickly. The arc reactor in Tony's chest was a problem, and the Sun Disc's radiation could accelerate healing in ways that might seal the chest cavity wrong around it.
Tony could only nod and follow Riku onto a teleportation array.
"By the way, what is this place really? With architecture this grand, how do satellites fail to spot it?" Tony chattered as they took their positions.
"I will explain in a moment. We are leaving now."
The air warped, and the two returned to the desert.
Hot sand shifted under their boots. Tony's mood lifted. "That was cool. When you have time, take me again."
"No problem."
Tony was a core figure in this world. Riku could farm plenty of Legend Value through him.
"As for your question," Riku said, "Shurima is not in the normal world. It sits in a folded space. It shares Earth's environment, but the layers do not interfere."
"Folded space... I think I get it," Tony murmured.
"If I were you, I would keep quiet for now. We do not know how long it will take to find a way out of this desert. Talk wastes breath, and you will lose water fast," Riku warned, glancing at the harsh sun.
Tony nodded. They trudged on in grim silence.
After who knew how long, Riku heard a dull thud behind him. Tony collapsed onto the scorching sand and rolled down a slope.
Riku clicked his tongue. This guy's constitution was terrible.
Though he no longer wore the Desert Emperor's template, years in Shurima had pushed Riku's body beyond Captain America levels. He jogged down, hauled the unconscious Tony up with one hand, and kept walking.
About two hours later Tony came to. His color was wrong, and his cracked lips told the story of brutal dehydration.
"Riku, I think I am dying," Tony rasped.
"Easy. I hear something faint. If I am right, we will see people soon. I do not know if they are allies or enemies," Riku said.
He was not just comforting him. Rotor noise was drifting in.
Moments later, the WHUP WHUP of helicopters rolled across the dunes.
Tony, moments from collapse, sprang up. "Here! Over here!"
"See the emblem on the chopper? That is the American flag. They are ours. We are saved. I can finally get out of this hellhole."
Riku simply nodded and watched the aircraft draw near.
James Rhodes, Tony's close friend and the future War Machine, was the first to jump down.
Seeing the gaunt Tony, Rhodes said, earnest, "Tony, promise me. Next time, ride with me."
"James, I am glad I can see you again," Tony answered, equally heartfelt.
After a brief reunion, Rhodes turned to the quiet stranger beside Tony. "And this is...?"
"My benefactor. Without him I would be buried under the dunes. As thanks, I want to take him away from this war-torn land," Tony said, smiling.
Riku dipped his head with a smile. "Hello, James. Good to meet you."
"Hello."
They flew to a U.S. military base. Stark Industries, already alerted, dispatched a luxury private jet with full medical gear and a personal doctor.
"So, how is it? This glittering world is more fun than Shurima, right?" Tony asked from his hospital bed as Riku stared out at the cloud tops.
"In Shurima, if we cannot guarantee survival when a machine fails, we generally do not ride that kind of dangerous vehicle," Riku replied without expression.