#Part of his whole deal is learning how to handle the wild mood swings he would be forced to experience at times

[fdragon-art]

Day 51 (30 Days | Homestuck - Day 29) - Fantrolls/Fankids time! ("Made of Rage (WIP)")

"The Mage of Rage can be especially volatile. Even while knowing their rage so fully, they're still unable to truly stop it. Handled well, and they may tear a path through enemies as easy as a knife through grub sauce.

Handled poorly? Well...let's not dwell about that, shall we?"

[allegra-writes]

Perfect

Peter Parker x Stark!Reader

General Audiences

Warnings: None

The request:

This is the story of the first time you met Peter Parker, and the first time you kissed.

For all the people who asked for a second part of "Happy birthday, Peter" or asked me what happened in Paris. This is prequel to that fic, but as always, can be read as a stand alone.

MY MASTERLIST

You wouldn’t say you were having the worst day of your life, that was probably the day that psycho of Aldrich Killian kidnapped you and played mad science with you. Or, going farther back, the day those other psychos of Ten Rings had snatched your father in the middle of the dessert and kept him away from you for three months. No, you wouldn’t say it was the worst day of your life, but it was definitely on the top five.

First, your father finally allowed you to wear your suit, yes, but it was to fight the people that until forty-eight hours before had been your family. Then, you had gotten to meet the famous Spider-Man from You Tube, and he was as amazing as you thought he would be, or more, fighting side by side with you and your father, matching the rest of the Avengers in strength and skill and even managing to land a few punches on Steve, while visibly enjoying himself all the time. He was smart, and funny and a total hottie under that mask. So of course you had frozen like a star-struck twelve year old. You hadn’t even been able to speak, and now he probably thought you were some conceited, stuck up brat, too good to talk to the noobie.

And as if that wasn’t bad enough, your father had humiliated you by taken you off the battlefield and carting you back to the hotel, with Happy as your babysitter, as if you were a child. Your only consolation was that Spider-Man had gotten the same treatment.

Still, by far the worst thing that happened that day, had been uncle Rhodey’s accident.

You had watched in horror how your dad had been too late to stop him from hitting the ground, unable to do anything yourself because he had deactivated your suit in order to force you out of the fight. He had rode to the hospital with Rhodey but had disappeared afterwards, and you knew that by the time you got your dad back, he was going to be bloodied and bruised. Not for the first time, you wished he would trust you enough to let you help him, but you weren’t under any delusions: You knew that after what had happened to uncle Rhodey, the chances of Tony letting you tag along on another mission were pretty much zero.

That also meant that the chances of you and Spider-Man ever crossing paths again were very slim, and with Happy returning you to New York the next morning, your window of opportunity with him was getting closed. So you did the Stark thing to do: You suited up for the battle and went to find Peter Parker.

…

Peter Parker was having the best day of his life. First, his childhood hero had brought him to Europe (or, had him brought, but whatever, Mister Stark was a busy man), then he gave him a brand new, awesome suit for him to wear. After that, he got to meet - and fight – The Avengers, and even steal Captain America's shield. The only downside had been that his celebrity crush, y/n Stark, hadn’t even spared him a glance, but he was used to pretty girls being aloof. At least to him.

He was so excited, that not even Happy Hogan's lack of enthusiasm could deter his good mood. Not even when he had demanded him to keep it down twice, and was currently knocking on his door a third time.

“Sorry, Happy! I promise this time I’ll...” He started apologizing before even opening the door, but the words died in his mouth once he did. Because that wasn’t Happy on the other side.

“Hey, Peter.”

“Mi-miss Stark! Hi!” It wasn’t fair, you thought: you knew you didn’t look that cute when you were nervous. But seeing him getting as flustered at you did wonders to your level of confidence. You smiled, feeling a little more your self.

“It’s y/n” you corrected.

“Y/n, sure” he blushed even harder, and you smiled wider.

“Aren’t you going to let me in?”

“Of-of course, miss Stark, y/n! I meant y/n!”, he tripped a little over himself making room for you to step in and it was the most adorable thing you had ever seen. You immediately headed for his bed, hopping on it because why not.

“So,” You commented casually without stopping to jump, “this is the Spider-cave…”

“I- I guess, I mean” It wasn’t fair, Peter thought. The most accomplished girl of his generation, for not mentioning beautiful, the one whose picture was on his lockscreen, was currently jumping. On his bed. And he was expected to make sense? Ok, he could do this, he just had to say words. Words that went together. Any words.

Why couldn’t he remember any words?

“I’m sure yours is bigger” He meant your room, but you totally miss understood.

“Well, yeah, but it’s not as bouncy” you replied.

“what?”

“What?” You parroted dumbly, pausing your hopping.

“Your room is not as bouncy?” Peter regretted talking as soon as he opened his mouth. What if he had misinterpreted you? What if it was some kind of cool kid's slang and he had just proven how not cool he was? What if-

“No, I meant my bed…”

Of course you were talking about your bed, it was obvious! He was so stupid! Now you were standing there looking at him with a tiny frown on your face, probably thinking he was a complete looser.

And now it was awkward. God, why was he such a-

“Why are you on your pajamas?”

Your question took him by surprise. He took in your black shorts and sheer blue top. Wow. Just… wow.

“… Why aren’t you?”

“It’s like, six o'clock” You explained with a shrug, “Dad said it was your first time in Berlin, I was thinking you’d might like to go out, do a little sight seeing…”

“Actually I already saw the city yesterday” Peter wanted to punch himself: What was wrong with him? Y/n Stark had just basically asked him out and he had rejected her. And now you looked disappointed. Like, for real, for him.

However, as he was later going to learn, you weren’t the type to give up easily.

“But this isn’t just your first time in Berlin, is it? It’s your first time in Europe, period. Isn’t it?” you checked.

“It is” He confirmed, “Why?”

A mischievous grin, so much like your father’s, started to slowly grow on your face.

“I just had the craziest idea…”

…

You weren’t like this. You weren’t wild, you weren’t reckless, that was a Stark gene you seemed to lack. Until now, cause there was something about Peter Parker, about his wide eyed gaze, his childlike enthusiasm, that made you feel adventurous and fearless. And if you were completely honest with yourself, you wanted to impress him.

You wanted to blow his mind.

… God, you were in so much trouble.

“I can’t believe we’re really doing it, this is insane!”

“You can still back out if you want, it’s not too late” But as you said the words you knew it was a lie, it was already too late. Because you could see reflected in Peter’s big brown eyes the same madness that seemed to have overtook you. He wasn’t backing up, not for anything.

He was about to open his mouth to reply when a soft tap on the car window interrupted him.

“Miss Stark, everything is ready, you have permission to land in Charles de Gaulle in forty minutes”

“Danke sehr aufmerksam, herr Müller” You turned to Peter, “What do you say, Spider-Man? Wanna go for a joyride?”

Stealing a plane and flying away to another country turned out to be not as big of a deal as Peter had imagined. If anything, it was a little anticlimactic how minimal was the effort you both had to do with a self-flown jet and the Stark last name opening borders and clearing landing tracks for you. Still, it didn’t stopped his heart from beating hard inside his chest the whole time. Or maybe that was just you and the effect you had on him, running hand in hand through the airport, trying to get away from the bunch of paparazzi that caught wind of the Stark jet landing there. It was exhilarating. You were exhilarating.

… He was in so much trouble.

“We need a cab” Peter announced once outside de airport, without slowing down, the paparazzi hot on your heels.

“There’s no way we’ll be able to loose them in a car, we need something faster” You pointed out, way more experienced in being hunted by the press.

“There, look!” He gestured at an impressive looking motorcycle that was just pulling up a few yards ahead.

“A Livewire! You have taste, Parker”

A pleased little blush appeared on his cheeks.

“Thanks,” He mumbled.

“Excusez-moi, monsieur!” You started, but the guy on the Harley interrupted you.

“Dude, I’m from L.A.” He chuckled, “And you are y/n Stark! This is so awesome, can I get a selfie?”

“Sure, can we get a ride?” You smiled sweetly at the camera.

“Sorry, guys, I’m here to pick up my son, his flight is delayed, he’s gonna flip when he sees you were here and he missed it…” He seemed genuinely sorry.

“Could we, like borrow your bike, then?” Peter requested.

The guy hesitated,

“Well, I mean, you look like cool kids and all but…”

“Here, you can have my watch as a guarantee you’ll get it back” you took your watch off your wrist and placed it on his open palm, “We’ll send you the location of the bike once we’re done, and maybe we could get another selfie with your son when you come pick it up…”

There wasn’t much time left, with the first photographers already coming out the doors. Luckily the bike guy caved in.

“Is this a Stark watch? These are worth like, a hundred thousand…”

“Couple hundreds, actually” You corrected, “special edition and all that”

“Ok, Take it!” The guy said, seeing the paparazzi running your way.

“Thanks!”

“Thank you so much! We’ll promise to give it back in one piece!” Peter yelled back as you both were riding away, with his hands firm on the handle, loving the feeling of your warm form draped around his back and the wind on his face. It was almost like swinging on his webs at breakneck speed, maybe even better, cause your arms were wrapped around his waist.

“Ever did this before?” you asked, raising your voice above the howling of the wind.

“I drove my friend's Ned scooter once” He replied, honestly “and I have super fast reflexes, how hard can this be?”

“Oh my God, we’re going to die!!” You groaned into his jeans cladded shoulder.

“Don’t worry, miss Stark, I won’t let anything happen to you” He promised, speeding down the A1 under the pink sunset. And if your heart melted a little right then and there, well, no one really needed to know.

“Whoa! That is amazing!” Peter bursted out in awe as soon as you reached Avenue Foch and the Arc de Triomphe appeared into view.

“Ok, pull over there, it’s time to ditch the bike” you decided.

“Are you sure?”

“Completely, this city is full of beautiful things at every corner, we might miss some if we go too fast” You loved Paris, and for some reason, you wanted Peter to fall in love with it too. You couldn’t really put your finger on why it was so important to you, but you needed him to see it the same way that you did, with all it’s beauty and quirks, with all it’s flaws (because there were flaws, like the rats or the outdated subway system), you didn’t want Peter to just have the narrow tourist view, with only the golden statues, the museums and the clichés.

You were going to give Peter the full experience.

He webbed the Harley to the front windows of a Bowling alley and you sent the coordinates to your own watch for the cool guy from the airport to pick it up.

“We are in Paris! This is the wildest, craziest thing ever! Crazier than stealing Cap's shield! I mean, I-…”

“Peter? What are you doing?”

Peter lowered his cellphone and turned to face you,

“I- I was… it’s just- I've been making this video of the trip so far and I thought…” He explained, sheepishly.

“Cool, can I be on it?”

That wasn’t the reaction he was expecting at all.

“Ye-yeah, sure” He turned the phone so the camera was pointing at you.

“We are in Paris with y/n!” He started over, “This is the craziest shit! I’m in the city of lights with the Queen S herself! Say 'Hi', your highness!”

It was amazing how the hated nickname the press had given you suddenly sounded so much sweeter from Peter’s lips. You smiled big and bright for his camera and did a little wave, and it was the cutest thing Peter had ever seen in his life. Chubby pandas and sneezing kittens had nothing on you.

“Where to now?”

“Tuileries Garden, of course” You said without missing a beat, “but we gotta hurry, it'll be closing time soon!”

Peter Parker had superhuman strength, you knew that, you had seen him stop a bus with his bare hands, witnessed him stopping a punch from the winter soldier himself. Yet he let you dragged him by the hand all across the Champs-Elysees. You weren’t sure what that meant, but it made you feel warm inside.

He, on the other hand, knew exactly what it meant. Because he would have let you do anything you wanted with him. Because he had known you for less than twenty-four hours, and you already had him wrapped around your little finger.

“Oh, no!” Your disappointment at finally arriving at the garden gates only to find them closed pulled at something inside of him. Those sad eyes and pouty lips ought to be illegal. He wondered idly what it would be like to bite that protruding bottom lip, to kiss the pout away. He chastised himself mentally, you were obviously upset, it was not the time for those kind of thoughts. You had your heart set on that garden, and he was just a middle class kid from Queens, there wasn’t much he could give to one of the richest girls in the world, but he could give you this.

“I think I might have an idea”

You turned to him with hopeful eyes,

“You do?”

“Yeah, but…” He hesitated, “we would have to- I mean you would have to let me, like…” He gestured awkwardly at your torso, his face reddening quickly.

“What?”

“Look, just… Do you trust me?” He finally asked.

“Of course” came your immediate reply.

“Ok. I’m just going to…” He took a step towards you, and very slowly, giving you plenty of time to back away or stop him, he wrapped an arm firmly around your waist.

You had never been this close to him before, well, no, that was a lie, you had been really close to him on the bike but somehow this felt different. Your face ended up on the crook of his neck and you breathed him in: Fabric softener with a hint of axe deodorant and chemicals, probably from his web fluid, and underneath all that, something else, spicy, like cinnamon. Something purely Peter.

Your warm breath on his neck sent shivers down his spine and he had to take a few seconds to gather himself enough to be sure his voice wouldn’t tremble before he said,

“Now wrap your arms and legs around me”

“What??” You squeaked, to your embarrassment.

“You said you trusted me”

“I- I do” You locked your arms around his shoulders and, with a little jump, your legs around his waist. Then, the world blurred out around you. One second, you both were standing on the ground, the next, you were flying through the air at the speed of light. And another one after that, you were landing surprisingly softly at the other side of the tall fence, effectively entering the gardens.

“Oh my god, that was awesome!”

“I’ve seen you literally flying,” Peter pointed out, “this was just a jump, definitely not as cool”

“Yeah, but like, in full armor and helmet. I never get to feel the wind on my face and stuff…”

“y/n? You can let go now” Peter regretted his words as soon as you let go of him and took a step back, taking your warmth and sweet perfume with you. He tried to cover his disappointment up.

“So, what’s so special about this garden anyway?”

You kept pointing at different flowers and sculptures for him to see and film, but more often than not, Peter found himself looking at you instead of them, far more fascinated by you. Far more interested in capturing the sparkle in your eyes anytime you saw something beautiful, or the way your skin seemed to almost glow under the fading light of the blue twilight, than in any fountain or plant.

It was a beautiful park, there was no denying it, like some enchanted wonderland out of a fairly tale. But he suspected it would probably loose most of it’s magic without it’s bewitching princess walking amongst it’s flowers, telling stories about the Medici and revolutions.

“… and of course, there’s the Ferris wheel. Do you think we can turn it on? I mean, it’s going to attract attention so we’ll probably won’t get a lot of time on it” You turned to find him staring at you through his cellphone camera, a soft look you didn’t dare to name on his face. “Pete, are you even listening to me?”

“Sorry, yes, of course, I was just-…”

“Vous, arrete vous!”

“Shit! We better run!”

The security guard was fast. Definitely not as fast as Peter but way to fast for you, so Peter ended up carrying you in his arms bridal style even after jumping the fence, because there were a couple of guards waiting for you out there too.

“Look! That must be the Seine!” He exclaimed joyfully once you reached the riverside.

“It is!” You confirmed, holding onto him for dear life as he raced towards the water.

“Uncle Ben used to take me fishing when I was little,” He commented casually as he came to a halt right next to a small boat tied to an even smaller dock. He deposited you carefully on it, and jumped in himself, immediately getting into the task of starting up the little outboard motor.

“Are we stealing a boat now?” You snorted inelegantly.

“Borrowing it,” He corrected, finally sailing away from the shore and the guards yelling at you angrily on it. “We are borrowing it. And I don’t see why not, we already borrowed a plane and a motorcycle…” He shrugged.

“I guess we are literally partners in crime, huh?”

“I still can believe it,” He confessed, shaking his head, “I mean, up until like three hours ago I thought you didn’t like me”

You lowered your eyes in shame.

“I know, sorry 'bout that” It was your turn to make a little confession, “I know I was a total bitch to you at the airport, it’s just… I was kind of nervous about meeting you and I-…”

“Wait, what?” Peter Parker looked like a confused puppy, and you knew he would not appreciate the comparison but to you it was the cutest shit you had ever seen. “You were nervous about meeting me? Why?”

“Because,” You explained, “You are Spider-Man, you stopped a car from hitting a bus full of people with one hand, that’s kind of amazing”

You are kind of amazing, you were too much of a coward to say out loud.

“You saw my videos?”

You rolled your eyes,

“Well, duh! Who do you think showed them to my dad?”

Peter was speechless: You weren’t just the reason he was in Paris: You were the reason he was in Europe at all, the reason Tony Stark had seek him out, and offered him the “internship”. He knew after this trip his life was going to change forever and it was all because of you.

It was all thanks to you, and he didn’t know what to do with that information.

“Now, see that bridge over there? That’s Pont des Invalides, nothing special about it, there’s hundreds of bridges in this city,” You continued to talk, completely oblivious to his little epiphany, “but once we reach it we’ll be able to see…”

“The Eiffel tower!” Apparently he had already spotted it.

By the time you finally reached Pont d'lena and we’re able to leave the boat, Peter was almost vibrating with excitement.

“There’s a merry go round!”

“A carousel, actually.” You corrected.

“What’s the difference?” Peter asked, confused. His little frown was adorable.

“Merry go rounds are for children. Carousels are for sophisticated young adults visiting Paris on their own for the first time!” You said before jumping into it before it even stopped moving, what earned you a few dirty looks from a couple of locals that were there with their children, but Peter was laughing as he jumped behind you, so it was all worth it.

“This has to be the prettiest merry go round I had ever took a ride on…”

“Carousel,” you rectified again “but, yeah, everything is prettier in Paris.” You sighed.

“Except you”

Your mouth fell open in mock indignation,

“Peter Parker, you take that back!”

“No- that’s not-… I mean, I didn’t- I wasn’t…”

He took a deep breath to pull himself together.

“I didn’t mean it like that, I just wanted to say that you always look beautiful, no matter the city you are in…”

You looked away to hide your blush.

“Well… you probably should have started with that” you said as nonchalantly as you managed. The carousel finally stopped moving.

“Now what?” Questioned Peter once you got off of the ride.

“Now we go see the tower, after that… we'll probably have to take the subway, so we can go all the way to Montparnasse to see the Catacombs” You decided. He didn’t looked that convinced, though.

“The catacombs? At night? Won’t that be like, really creepy?”

“That’s the whole point! Besides,” you finished, looping your arm around his “I’ve got Spider-Man to protect me from anything evil that might be lurking down there”

He laughed,

“And I have Iron girl to protect me, so I guess there’s nothing to be afraid of”

“I’m not so sure about that superhero name,” The way you scrunched your nose was way too adorable for your own good, Peter concluded. “We’re gonna have to keep working on that…”

“Wow! Look at that, that’s incredible!”

You follow Peter’s line of sight right to were the most famous landmark in the world was sparkling as if covered in a thousand stars.

“It’s like the world’s biggest Christmas tree!”

… Or that, you guessed.

There were very few views in the world more beautiful than the Eiffel tower at night. The naked awe in Peter Parker's face illuminated by the tower lights as he gazed upon it, was one of them.

A soft yapping sound took you both out of your respective reveries. A couple of Pit bull puppies had seemingly escaped their leashes and we’re running around one of the entrances.

“Aww, look! It’s puppy love!” You declared as one of the puppies licked at the other's snout.

Peter laughed.

“Do you think that was their first kiss?” He wondered, “They do look kind of nervous and over exited about each other…”

You smiled,

“I wish my first kiss had been like that”

“Really?”

“Yeah! I mean, in Paris, under the Eiffel tower lights on a full moon?” You explained, “Mine wasn’t nearly as romantic”

Peter seemed to get lost in thought.

You nudged at him with your shoulder.

“What about you? What was your first kiss like?”

He seriously considered lying, he really didn’t want you to know how much of a looser he was, and he also kinda wanted to impress you. But you had been nothing but sincere and natural and open with him the whole night, the least you deserved was his honesty.

“I never-… I mean, I haven’t… kissed anyone… yet.”

You blinked.

“Never? Really?”

“Really really” He confirmed and even under the soft light you could tell he was blushing furiously.

You didn’t know what possessed you next. Possibly the same brand of insanity that drove you to take your father’s jet in the first place, but that was neither here nor there as you slowly, very slowly like him at the gardens, took a step towards him and whispered,

“Close your eyes”

He couldn’t have disobeyed your command even if he had wanted to, it was like some strange gravitational phenomenon, or maybe an electromagnetic one: The closer you were, the stronger the pull to get even closer, and the stronger your power over him. He closed his eyes but he was quite obviously unnerved, the tension clear on his shoulders. You laced your finger with his and squeezed his hand a little, and he relaxed immediately at your touch. He licked his lips instinctively and that was your undoing, you finally pressed your lips softy to his, and the universe burst into colors behind your eyelids. It was sweet, and gentle and everything a first kiss was supposed to be.

And you actually had no recollection of any other person you had kissed before; because they were inconsequential, no one had ever made you feel anything like this, warming you up from the inside, making you dizzy with want. It was stronger than any whiskey you might or might not had sneaked from your father’s bar. You stood there, drinking each other for some minutes, or maybe some centuries, you weren’t sure. Everything beyond Peter’s lips on yours had lost its meaning.

When you finally parted, Peter rested his forehead in yours, breathless and refusing to have to let go of you completely.

“How was that for a first kiss?” You asked under your breath. Peter smiled, leaning in once again.

“It was perfect” He replied against your lips, “Absolutely perfect.”

[bdo-kenai-kanu]

Finding Macky: The Lost Necklace, Part 3

A more serious look overcame Deoku's face once Olive had closed the door completely.   Once he and his apprentice were out of vocal range of her home he explained the next step. "Ok Kenai, we're heading to the bar to inform Tabitha of what's about to happen.  After that, I think it's time to make a few thugs pay for their years of harassment and attacks on citizens of this town.", he walked briskly back toward the tavern. "And you'll finally get to see something I never got to show you before. Hope you're ready buddy.", the older man smiled to his young friend.

Kenai trailed his mentor through the dark streets, the only sources of light the lamps lining the cobblestone roads. It seemed not a soul was out at this hour, which was certainly far later than Kenai thought they would be out and with autumn in full swing, the lights were cold and crisp, enabling the young Striker to see his breath in wispy white puffs. He kept up with the older man as they made a quick march back towards one of the taverns in the area, hoping to run into Tabitha and her gruff companion if they hadn't turned in for the night already.

They swiftly made their way to the tavern; upon reaching the door Deoku shoved it open with more force than intended.  His eyes darted around to bars patrons as he entered; scanning for Tabitha.   A few drinkers became quiet as the two burst in; weary that the strikers were there to cause trouble, but soon went back to their drink and conversation when no declarations were made. The tall striker did not see her anywhere near the front or over at the bar and walked through slowly before hearing a ruckus in one of the back corners.  Everyone in the room was seemingly having a great time, drinks were flowing, laughs were had, and songs being sung.  There was no fighting so far this night.  As he got closer he could hear a female voice among them, also noticing the unforgetting appearance of her gruff partner Boris and a few other guards at the table.  

Once close enough he caught glimpse of her and strolled over.  He approached the guard's table; appearing from an angle where she could see them directly approaching to assure they could get her attention among the crowd.  "Excuse me, Tabitha, I need a word with you about a problem you and guards have been having.  Me and friend plan to solve it tonight for you if you'll be here in the bar long enough." Deoku spoke up over the other men silencing a few of them; a serious expression on his face; unusual for the normally relaxed striker.

Borus seemed too far gone by the time Kenai and Deoku drew close enough to be heard over the din in the tavern, the burly man slurring his words as he rambled off a verse in some dirty-humored tavern ditty, ale sloshing out of his tankard as he swayed unsteadily in his chair, making a ruckus with several others at the table. However, Kenai noted their presence wasn't entirely ignored as Tabitha poked her head around the blusterous group, her own beer in hand, her helmet set aside. "Well! Didn't think I'd see you two again tonight!" She rose from her seat and approached them, giving the overcrowded table a wide berth to avoid being jostled.

"Hit a dead end with your necklace, boys?" she implored with a friendly grin. It was with a measure of relief that Kenai took note she was still relatively sober. He hated dealing with drunk people.

Though Deoku was not in his usual mood he smiled at Tabitha as she approached. "No, thankfully we were able to get the necklace back to its owner.", he replied to the female guard.  "Actually, we came here for a different reason.  Are you going to be here for another hour? " he questioned to Tabitha who was enjoying her drink but was still sober so far. "I hear you've had a problem over in the slums that's been lingering a few years too long and my partner and I plan to bring you an early holiday gift." the striker gave her a telling grin.

The guard's woman lifted a brow, pausing to look between Kenai and Deoku each in turn, "Color me curious. You wouldn't be talking about Macky... would you?" A seriousness crossed her features then as she hastily glanced around before herding Kenai and Deoku aside and into a vacant booth, leaning in close to the pair, "Now listen, you two best be careful, you hear? Macky isn't someone to play with. They call him 'Monster Mack" on the streets, he's known for some pretty nasty shit so if you are serious about your intent... well, watch what you say and who you say it to. Macky has eyes and ears everywhere, its how he’s eluded us for so long...."

"Eluded you say? You'd think someone with such control over that area wouldn't feel the need to hide.", Deoku thought for a moment. "Fine, the cautious route it is then. Anything you can tell us to help find our target a bit faster?" the older striker asked knowing that she doesn't have an exact location but may have some info gathered from over the years.  

"Don't worry. I have no plans of playing around.  Believe it or not, before the kid here came along I've been dealing with situations like this one and even worse.", Deoku thought back to his situation in that town a few years back for a moment. "Yeah, definitely worse, but regardless something has to be done here."

Tabitha blew a sigh, sliding her tankard aside to steeple her fingers together, eyeing Kenai and Deoku from across the table, her expression contemplative. Kenai exchanged a look with Deoku, waiting, his fingers tapping lightly on his knee. At length, the female Guard seemed to cave, shaking her head, "I may as well do what I can to help you out. I have a feeling you are the sort to pursue a target with or without the consent of a stubborn Guard. So listen up, I shouldn't be sharing any of this with you- it could cost me my job." Kenai nodded his understanding, leaning back in the bench seat of the booth to cross his arms casually over his chest, his expression expectant. "Macky has been a thorn in our side for a long time. Years. He's done everything from theft and drug dealing to murder and rape. He's a pretty nasty customer with a foul mouth and even fouler temper. Had the displeasure of running into him a few time through my career as a City Guard and he's definitely the sort to leave an impression. I don't think there isn't a decent person in the region who does not want him off the streets. He's a big brute too, wears an eye patch... in all honesty, the best way I can describe him physically is that he looks like some human-troll half breed." she pulled a face and shuddered. "He has his own intel network of spies all throughout the city- it’s how he’s eluded us for so long. He stays in the slums but his reach is everywhere. His lackeys pay him tribute with whatever they manage to steal as a means of buying temporary protection from him and his goons.   Rumor has it... and I shouldn't be saying this but... some say he even has some of the nobles in his pocket, carrying out assassinations for coin."

Deoku listens to her intently taking in every word carefully. "This is good then. If we help solve your problem it will wreck the structure of whatever is going on around here and allow you and your guards to gain a foothold in cleaning things up.", Deoku nodded in understanding.  "It's simply a matter of getting there with minimal detection. I'd rather not have to overwork my buddy and I here.", the older striker stroked his facial hair in thought contemplating how he'd handle this situation.

Kenai hummed quietly in agreement to Deoku's words, his gaze shifting from the older man to the female Guard sitting across from them. He lofted a brow, imploringly, "You said this mook has eyes and ears everywhere, right? At some point, someone has to slip up. He can't hide forever." Tabitha sighed, shaking her head, "Trust me, this whole mess in a nightmare. We've even arrested fellow Guards in the past for being affiliated with Macky and his dirty dealings. He's got his fingers in a lot of pies if you know what I'm saying." She blew a drawn-out sight, shaking her head lightly, "Look, I can give you a general idea of where to look but I can't make any promises. After all, if we knew the exact location of this fiend, he would be in irons by now."  

She passed another glance around them, just to make sure they hadn't garnered any unwanted attention from anyone else in the tavern and once the coast seemed to be clear, leaned in to continue, "You're gonna wanna look carefully in the slums- in particular, the alleys. Rumor has it there is a secret passway hidden in the mason work somewhere. I'm guessing one of those annoying brick equals hole in the wall type of deals but we've combed through them and we've turned up empty every time. Maybe we're not looking in the right places but we can never know for sure cause Macky changes up the entrances somehow.' Kenai frowned. This was turning out to sound more like a pain in the ass than he was expecting. "So basically, it's a wild goose chase trying to find this guy.... Well, luckily for us, the hunt is part of the fun. But if he's somehow swapping entrances, one has to wonder if there is magic involved somehow...." He trailed off, running fingers back through his hair, hazel gaze shifting towards Deoku.

"I wouldn't doubt it." Deoku glanced over to Kenai then replied to his comment. "Even for the mason area...to constantly have to rebuild new entrances and passageways over several years wouldn't go unnoticed.  It would be extremely messy and noisy. ", the man then looked at Tabitha with his greens, still contemplating everything he's hearing.  "To be the kind of brute you describe him as; this all seems very elaborate.  Are you sure he's the only one behind all this? ", he didn't doubt that it could be possible but couldn't help but to be a bit skeptical at the same time.

"Honestly... we have no idea just how deep this all goes. I agree this all sounds far too thorough for a mere criminal but I've learned quick on this job that you can't judge folk by appearances. Macky is cunning. Who knows, perhaps years of being on the radar has made him wise to what we look for. I can't say for certain." she lamented with a frown. Kenai exhaled slowly, taking a moment to process everything shared. "Well, this will prove interesting. If this guy is as sly as you say he is, we'll have to try and stay a few steps ahead of him. He must be far smarter than people give him credit for if he can elude capture for this long. That or..." he trailed off a moment, a look crossing his features as he seemed to zone out as if recalling a memory from his past before shaking himself, forcing the recollection out of his head, "There are a lot of ifs. We won't know for sure until we see for ourselves."

"That I can agree with. ", the tall striker nodded.  "We aren't going to know anything for sure standing here talking all night. " he shrugged. "May as well get moving and see what the night brings..  He then smiled at Tabitha, "Thanks for the tips, we'll see what we can do for you.".  Deoku then turned to Kenai,"I think those cloaks we had earlier will come in handy.", he suggested to his friend.

Tabitha frowned a little, "Just be careful, you two hear?" With that, she rose, taking her tankard with her and rejoined her company at the table, notably in far less good spirits. Kenai rose from his booth seat and looked to Deoku, awaiting his lead. "Sometimes big baddies have back up. Magically inclined back up." He knew from experience and again, he found himself forcing out the images of his past. "We making a quick stop before we go slum spelunking?" he asked, regarding his mentor curiously as they headed towards the exit.

Deoku nods to his friend as the exit the pub, "Yeah we need those cloaks to so we don't stand out as we walk through the lion's den.  Also to get a few magic protection items just in case.", the striker moved at a vigorous pace.  Luckily the inn and bar weren't pretty much right next to each other.  He quickly ascended the stairs and entered their room swiftly grabbing the cloaks they were earlier that day.  He then dug through their bags finding some rings and necklaces that increase their protection against magic attacks.  

"We'll put these on as strikers physical attacks even involving weapons aren't an issue, magic doesn't do us great harm but it's still more effective than anything physical so I'd rather have this extra insurance," he explained to Kenai as he put on the items.  "And finally we'll need these...", he hands Kenai a potion against ranged magic. "We will drink these once we find the secret path so they'll last us the entire time we're there."

Kenai had tailed Deoku the whole way and once in their rented room, he stood by as his mentor collected the items they would be needing, donning the protective jewelry once handed to him and pocketing the elixir for later. He slid his cloak about himself, hazel eyes regarding the older Striker seriously. "Into the lion's den, then. This guy sounds like bad news, the sooner we get him off the streets the better. Think we'll find him tonight?"

"Hmmm, maybe. But that's part of what the cloaks are for. Just in case we don't at least anyone who reports back to him won't know exactly who's looking for him." , he smiled at Kenai.  "But as you mentioned hopefully we can end this tonight and be done with the matter altogether.", Deoku stood up after he finished taking from the bags.  The man then pulled up the hood of his cloak which provided a great deal of concealment since it was also night.   "Alright let's go hunting!", Deoku then moved back toward the doorway and exited the room.

Once again, the pair slipped out into the night, cloaked and alert as they made their way stealthily out of the main trade district and over into the slums. The change was as drastic as night and day. Whereas the main city of Calpheon was grand and beautiful, the slums were dreary and crumbling, signs of vandalism and neglect everywhere they looked. The stench of the sewers underground wafted up through the grates in the streets, mingling with the foul odor of poor hygiene as vagabonds and the derelict cluttered the narrow streets and alleyways, some huddled about barrel fires for warmth and some sleeping against the walls, all clad in a tattered, filthy rag like garments. There was all manner of races here, trolls, giants, elves, humans, shai- there was no prejudice here. Men, women, and children were among the less fortunate, some seriously ill and some rather thuggish looking. It was clear this was not a good place to be.

Deoku sighs, "A shame the nobles make coin off of the suffering of these people.", the striker casually mentioned as they walked while keeping an eye out for anything of interest or danger to them.  Since the two weren't exactly rich themselves luckily their well-traveled cloaks didn't cause them to stand out among the crowd.  Deo cautiously looked around not making it too obvious that he was checking for the area Tabitha mentioned.  "While it won't fix anything overnight at least if we do this it will be a small improvement in some for the people around here."

Kenai nodded solemnly, unable to help but feel pity for those around them, in particular, the children. Ragamuffins and urchins clothed in rags and scraps of clothing, bare feet stained black, limbs thin as toothpicks as they begged for scraps of food or dug for it through trash, eyes hollow and soulless. Without hope. He knew that look all too well and it made his stomach turn as black memories of his haunted past dared to surface. He shook them from his mind, knowing he needed to be clear-headed for the task before them. He squared his shoulders and followed his mentor closely, minding his steps and keeping a keen eye out for any spotters that might make them for what they were. They were near the heart of the slums when both would notice something off about one of the brick walls that gave way to an alley, something that would have gone largely ignored by most who did not know what they were looking for. Among the disheveled stonework towards the center of the alley, a handful of bricks jutted out from the wall on their left, barely an inch but the keen eyes of the Strikers could pick them out easily. To the untrained eye, it would appear to be no more than additional rubble to the crumbling wall. Kenai discreetly tapped Deoku's elbow and gestured with his gaze towards the area that had caught his attention, indicating they should investigate it.

The older striker noticed Kenai's tap and nodded silently, before walking over to the wall as if to lean against it for a rest while getting a closer look.  He casually rested on wall cautiously checking to see if anyone was around or looking their way before taking any action.  Satisfied that the coast was clear Deoku pressed and pushed in the out of place bricks; all the while keeping an eye on their surroundings.  He then looked to his pupil without words; knowing this had to be the spot Tabitha spoke of.

The bricks shifted, grinding dully against the rest of the structure as they were adjusted. Kenai played lookout as Deoku worked, ensuring they drew no attention from their surroundings before a low shifting sound could be made out as the last of the bricks were pushed in. Oddly, the wall seemed to remain as it was upon first inspection until the younger striker moved to join his mentor. The faint gust of some hidden breeze alerted him to the clever ploy, an optical illusion of sorts of a wall hiding another. It was all in the way one looked at the structure after the bricks were pushed in as the hidden passage would not be noticeable if one were to look directly at it, let alone in the poor lighting of the alley and he had to blink a few times to let his eyes focus on the anomaly. "Well, that's different." He stepped forward and reached his hand forward towards the bricks and it appeared, at first, as though his hand went through it until Deoku shifted his position, enabling him to see the hidden path between the walls. Kenai looked to Deoku, a bit uneasy. He hated being in tight, enclosed spaces. He waited for Deoku to slip in first and followed, a bit begrudgingly, the pair carefully making their way through the hidden path which seemed to steadily decline below ground level, taking them underground, eventually widening a bit into what appeared to be catacombs beneath the city, the tunnels dimly lit with torchlight.

Finally able to speak now that they were away from any eyes and ears, Deoku spoke to Kenai; though still keeping his voice low to avoid any echos alerting possible trouble.  "How are you holding up down here? I know enclosed areas aren't exactly your thing, Kenai.", the striker's eyes wandered the catacombs as he checked up on his friend.  Though he was interested in getting this done after years of experience he didn't allow impatience to rush him or make him blind; the older man had his suspicions but kept them to himself for now. "Let's be careful down here. Though I'm sure that goes without saying." the striker mused to lighten the mood a bit. Deoku carefully watched the ground and walls as the moved; taking care to be observant of any traps that might await as the traveled through the dimly lit tunnels and paths of the catacombs.

Kenai nodded, doing his best to keep calm and collected as they regarded their surroundings, clearing his throat lightly so as not to provoke an echo, "Y-yeah... you know, it's no wonder the guard had such a hard time finding this place...." he remarked, equally keen on scouring every shadow and corner to ensure they were alone. The catacombs were old with some areas caved in and piles of rubble and bone littered the ground. The air was stale and musty and in the distance, the sound of dripping water echoed faintly through the tunnels, adding to the eerie feeling one got just being underground. Kenai wasn't a fan. The area seemed void of any life aside from the scurrying rat or two and some bugs with thick cobwebs hanging from corners and the ceiling, the air still and relatively quiet. From what light the torches could provide, the flames casting flickering shadows upon the walls, it seemed as though they were largely undetected for the moment and no traps could be detected from where they stood. Before them, there was only one way to really go, the tunnel clear of obstruction whilst the others were blocked with rubble from them caving in ages ago. For now, the coast was clear.

Deoku and Kenai made their way through the cramped area;.  Once in a while he would check behind them as well to make sure not to leave their backs unguarded. He stopped for a moment and took out his bottle of potion for magic def increase.  Now that they were in the right area its effects would last them more than long enough to get what they needed doing.  He smiled and waved it at Kenai signaling him to use his as well; before chugging it down.  Afterwards, he continued forward as stealthily as possible. "It's a good thing we don't carry large clanky weapons. I imagine a warrior would have a hard time getting through here unnoticed." Deo whispered to his friend.  As they kept moving eventually he observed light becoming slightly brighter in the distance; most likely meaning they were coming closer to a more illuminated area or room.

Kenai followed suit in withdrawing his potion, popping the cork and downing it quickly, feeling the tingle throughout his limbs as it took effect. He tailed his mentor as they carried on forward, noting the light ahead whilst commenting on something that caught his eye, "Seems this path is well traveled. You can see the footprints in the dust upon the floor." he remarked. He was sweating a little, doing his best to keep the fact they were in such enclosed quarters out of his mind and ignore the fact it felt like the walls were closing in on them. He was careful in checking their surroundings, making sure they tripped no traps and had no one following them and before long, the tunnel began to grow steadily more lit as they approached a far more open section of the catacombs. A far more open space, pillars lit with torches greeted them as they neared cautiously. Before Deoku could step fully into the room, Kenai's hand shot out, halting him, "Wait, Deo." He nodded to where he was about to step, the faintest glimmer of a nearly invisible thread tethered from one end of the passage to the other at ankle level though whether it was linked to a trap or not, it was hard to say. It was only from the gleam of the flickering torchlight catching upon it that Kenai was able to see it. There was something off about it, and the younger Striker couldn't help the prickle along the back of his neck as his sixth sense warned him of impending danger. "Best not step on that."

"Good idea. While I'm confident in my defensive ability; I don't think Id want to test its ability to stop whatever that string leads to.", he commented as he peered into the room before them.  The striker looked down at the wire before stepping over it making sure that it wasn't a layered trap where he'd step over one only to find another. Satisfied after checking he stepped over the wire and carefully through the doorway, checking to both the left and the right making sure no one was awaiting them.  Rather than walk down the center of the room in its most open and viewable area, Deoku walked closer to a single side of the larger room instead.

Despite their caution, as they ventured further into the cavern, keeping to the shadows and hugging the walls, the feeling that something wasn't quite right nagged at Kenai, making him tense. "...I don't like this," he remarked quietly to his mentor. It wasn't until he stepped upon something that crunched at his feet did the young Striker freeze, looking down to see skeletal remains in a pile against the wall and among some loose stone. Further, inspection would reveal several similar mounds about the cavern and as the flames from the torches flickered, that was when they could see them. Criss-crossing across the open spaces of the cavern were dozens more of those fine, barely visible threads, only seen when the light catches them just right, beads of something gelatinous coating them. The feeling of dread crawled up Kenai's spine as he dared draw his gaze upwards, the hair on the back of his neck standing up, "...Don't tell me...." Above them was a mass cocoon-like structure, mass webbing stretching as far out as the cavern would allow. Not a stone was visible of the initial catacomb ceiling, just thick layers of spun silk the creature made tunnels throughout them. It was a lair, and if the pile of bones scattered about the cavern floor was any indicator, many an unfortunate soul met their end here. A shudder ran through him, unable to fight the urge. He hated spiders. And if the size was any indicator, he doubted he wanted to see what made the webs that surrounded them. He remained still, listening for any movement, hazel eyes scouring the dimly lit chamber for the many strands of deadly silk, knowing they needed to pick their way carefully. One touch could be their end if they got tangled.

"Huh.", The striker thought calmly as he looked around. "Guess it was an illusion spell", Deo then looked over to Kenai checking on his condition.  "If you need Kenai we can always turn back.  I don't want to put you in a situation you aren't for yet.", the older striker offered his friend noticing his concerned worried expression. As he spoke to his student his eyes were also surveying where each strand of silk ran.  Deo was thankful he decided to travel along the outer wall where the webs were fewer and they could possibly move through them if cautious and nimble enough;  the main concentration of webbing filled the center of the room almost completely.   The man took not another step until he heard from his friend. "Don't feel you have to go through with this to prove anything to me Kenai; just remember one of the lessons I taught you a while back.  Retreat can always be a valid tactic as well."

Kenai looked indignant, "Hell no, Deo. I'm not going anywhere without you, we stick together and have each other's backs. That's how it works." He moved carefully, picking his way along the wall and being mindful of the webs that were spread haphazardly throughout the chamber. "Better safe than sorry... see a way through?" he implored, squinting at their surroundings, trying to pinpoint a safer path for them to wiggle through undetected though it would be a challenge to keep their cloaks from getting snared. " I'd rather not wake whatever's laying in wait."

Deo nods in reply," Alright as long as you're fine we'll keep going.", he spoke as he looked around making sure nothing snuck up on either of them. Deo didn't want to alert his already nervous partner, but he could make out the numerous glossy eyes of the creature high above the room.  thanks to the flickering flames dimly lighting the room, and a  faint outline of a portion of its body.  "Yeah, I see a way.  Keep close to the larger piles of bones and stay low.  I noticed it doesn't use much webbing near those piles because if it did any little bone that fell over and hit the web would constantly alert it for no reason. So it made sure the webs avoided the piles by angling upward and over them.", he then explained.  "Also over there...counter to the center wall.  It's faint but if you look at the light that manages to reach it; you can see the outline  of the doorway leading out of this area."

The creature hadn't moved and he didn't want to alert or give it any reason to do so, so he moved cautiously navigating the webs. Before going further Deo stopped and showed Kenai what he was doing. Not wanting to speak too much in case their voices may provoke the creature or catch its ears eventually; he simply demonstrated tying the bottom of his cloak around his waist.  This kept the extra fabric from possibly brushing against something it shouldn't until they could make their way out of the room.

Kenai did his best to mimic his mentor, securing his cloak in a similar fashion as he picked his footing wisely, all the while feeling the eyes above him upon his back, making the hair at the nape of his neck stand on end. He resisted the impulse to shudder in revulsion and focused on Deoku, mirroring his actions to safely navigate the hazardous space they had found themselves in. Miraculously, they managed to make their way safely through to the other side where the conjoining tunnel continued on ahead, the end flickering with more torchlight. It seemed the looming danger of the previous room was avoided for the time being. They pushed onward and as they neared the end, several yards away, the sound of voices could be detected. The tunnel led into a large cavern, alight with torch fire, the light dancing upon items of wealth and making them glitter, gold chalices, silver platters, coins, gems, lavishly woven rugs, paintings of repute, to name a few of the various treasures that cluttered the space of the catacombs from ground to walls. It reminded Kenai of a book he once read about Pirates and their lair of spoils and couldn't help but wonder if that was what they had somehow stumbled upon. They hid easily behind one of several large piles of rubble that lined the walls of the cavern, enabling them to observe the scene before them undetected.

Men and women, all of which looked like ruffians and all around unpleasant people, laughed and bickered, indulging in alcohol they poured from one of several large kegs towards the back of the room where at the center sat a risen platform and a thrown made from a plush armchair and draped with luxurious furs and cushions, gem necklaces draped off the back. Seated among it was a large, ugly brute of a man in a ratty trench coat, a pipe in one hand and a tankard of ale in the other. It seemed the stumbled upon the den of thieves.

Still being cautious after their near miss in the previous cavern, Deoku observed his surroundings looking upwards as well making sure nothing would surprise them from the ceiling.  Satisfied, he then made sure they were well hidden behind the column and out of view from the door, they came through.  He tried to avoid knocking over any of a large amount of treasure near them that may alert the room or give away their location.   

"It seems we found our target Kenai.  He's as ugly as Tabitha described it would seem.", he whispered to his friend as the spied upon the riff-raff in the large room.  For now, he just wanted to observe to see if any worthwhile info would be spilled.  Which worked out for him in 2 ways, because it would also allow them to get a bit drunker decreasing their ability to put up their best fight and making a poor decision in battle if they did.  Though he noticed the guy who appeared to be Macky wasn't as drunk as the others. At least not for the time being. "Huh, guess he can hold his liquor pretty well." the striker quietly mentioned."

Kenai nodded, crinkling his nose. He could smell them all from here. "Yeah... okay, what's the plan?" Hazel eyes turned to Deoku expectantly. The older man always had a plan. As they hid together, the commotion in the room didn't stop, the two intruders largely undetected as the ruffians jostled one another, some fighting amongst themselves in their drunken stupor over a game of cards and others drinking until they passed out. It was honestly a bit of a madhouse in there and it smelt like a zoo, not very pleasant in the least. All the while, Macky sat slouched in his makeshift throne, swigging his booze and guffawing at the antics of his crew, unaware they were being spied upon from the shadows.

Our biggest concern is taking out the ones still awake before the big guy can react.  We'll need to make sure it's just us versus him. I doubt we'd want to have to take our focus off of him during a brawl, though I have a plan if things aren't going so well against him." The striker turned and whispered to his young partner.   Deo then glanced up and smirked, "Welp Kenai looks like we're in luck..", the man pointed at the large gaudy chandelier above the rowdy group.  

"They will be out of commission once that heavy thing lands on them, and the few that are already down anyway will stay down.  Though it's a good source of light there's enough  light still coming off the other chandelier and candles around the room that vision shouldn't be an issue."

Kenai nodded as his gaze flicking about the various things Deoku pointed out, a devious grin tugging at the corner of his lips. "Yeah, yeah- got it!" He looked to his mentor and hastily nodded his agreement to the plan the older Striker was concocting, showing his understanding. "How are we going to get it down?" he wondered, pausing to follow the length of chain the chandelier hung by, noting it was attached to a hook mounted in the rough stone of the wall behind the fake throne Macky slouched in. The second was similarly attached to the wall opposite. It would take some clever thinking to get the chains loose.

Deoku smiled to his friend, "Welp my friend..." the striker whispered. "A mix of great aim and good ol’ fashioned striker strength." The older man picked up a decent sized diamond among the treasure surrounding them. "Channel your energy enough to send one of these bad boys flying at the part of the wall that's anchoring the mount.  When it fractures the hooks will come free and you can guess the rest." He passed one to Kenai. "Just make sure it hits hard enough to break it in one go. If it takes too long to release it could alert them." The man then looked back over to their targets. "Let me know when you're ready" he began quickly focusing his energy into his hand.

Kenai nodded although he had a momentary pause as the gem was placed in his hand caused him to hesitate, eyes going wide as it dawned on him what he held, "Holy shit- look at the size of this thing... it could feed us for the rest of our lives!" It was certainly the largest jewel he had ever seen, let alone held, in his life! 

He sniggered then, waggling his brows playfully at Deoku as something crossed his mind, a smirk playing along his lips cheekily, "Bet you can buy your new lady a nice piece of land with one of these puppies. Maybe I should pocket one for a wedding gift." he teased, unable to help himself as it struck him just how ridiculous it actually was that he was essentially playing darts with a gem the size of his palm. he focused his energy in a similar fashion to his mentor, zeroing in on his target, adjusting his position accordingly before murmuring low, "Okay, ready!"

"Not a bad thought now that you mention it..." The mentor quietly chuckled, "You and your ideas. Let's get out of this mess first then we'll  see if there's anything left for us or any reward at all for that matter." Deoku peeked again making sure it was safe as Kenai confirmed he too was ready to go. "Ok ready here as well. I'll take out the mount behind the big guy you get the other." He carefully took aim at the stone around the mount and fire the jewel off in a high-speed burst shattering enough of the stone wall near/around the mount for it to break free. 

Simultaneously, Kenai's own gem rocketed off through the dim glow of the room, a sharp pang! ringing out in unison with Deoku's own gem as they both met their marks, the old, worn stone around the rusted metal links that kept the chandelier chains in place crumbling like dust. Before the congregation of ruffians in the main chamber knew what was happening, the twin chandeliers came crashing down in a rain of tempered iron and crystal which shattered into a fine rain of glittering shards upon impact with the ground. 

Utter chaos broke out in the room, several of the villainous-looking individuals in the main chamber getting caught under the weight of the chandeliers, shrieking in pain and surprise as the fixtures bared down on them, pinning some and wounding others. Macky was just shy of being caught as the chandelier above him fell, his makeshift throne throwing him back as it tilted back in his initial start as the fixtures made an impact with the dirt and stone of the chamber floor. By the time it took him to right himself, get to his feet, and reach for the wicked looking club he kept nearby, the bulk of it studded with twisted prongs of metal, it was already too late, the whole chamber falling into a dim gloom, greatly impeding his vision already blurred by drug and drink.

The veteran striker watched the madness afar with is pupil as their plan played out among loud noise, thick dust, and twisting metal. "It worked Kenai!" Deoku stated enthusiastically while still keeping a whisper. "Sadly from what I could tell it just missed the big guy so we'll have our work cut out for him. But we have an advantage; we know where he is but he doesn't know where we are.  Even if we have to fight him we can at least get the initial drop on him." he explained before cautiously making his way toward the direction of the throne. 

  Kenai was struggling to contain his snickering at the sight of the mayhem before them, the air thick with dust and the slurred, cursing of the ruffians that staggered and crawled across the chamber. Macky booted an unfortunate in the rump who blindly grabbed at his booted ankle, screeching profanities at his crew for their incompetence and for a moment, the scene in front of them seemed almost comical. 

Then the air was pierced by a menacing hiss, starting low and guttural and gaining in pitch, like a hundred angry serpents rearing all at once in warning. Kenai instantly felt the hair stand on end along his arms and the back of his neck, his hazel gaze shifting slowly towards the entrance of the chambers where, in the dusty gloom, a monstrous figure prowled through. Inky black in the low light, it looked like a solidified shadow in comparison, four long legs passing through the chamber opening followed by four more, the massive body, bristling with hairs almost slithering through as appendages felt around before it, sight form its six eyes gleaming in the dark, its vision long gone from years in the depths. 

The monster from the previous chamber had been disturbed by the vibrations and the noise and had come to investigate.

Deoku watched amused by the chaos unfolding before his eyes but hearing the loud screech soon after almost sucked away his fun as fast as it had begun. "Ah great, you again", the striker quietly said to himself as the creature emerged.  He made sure to keep clear of the large monsters feelers while staying out of sight as well.  Thankfully the large spider also obscured the view even more and as well as kicked up a bit more dust while feeling around  He felt sorry for some of the loud drunk victims that would fall prey to the indiscriminate beast.  Not having sense enough to quiet themselves or even realizing the spider had entered the room at all.

In the haze, the dust swirling in the air so thick Kenai could choke on it, the monster squeezed through the narrow archway, old and brittle stone crumbling into dust upon the floor with a fleshy scrape of its grotesque bulk. Its eyes were dull and milky but its fangs were wickedly curved with hollow, needle-like points tucked up in its chelicerae, beads of venom clinging to them despite the twitch of anticipation that made them click together, thick palps tapping ahead of it, feeling for those lost in the chaos. 

The first unfortunate that stumbled against the spider's sensitive, hair covered leg never knew what hit him and in truth, the strike was so swift and vicious, Kenai actually jumped, the man's shrieks of fear and pain echoing off the walls. If chaos hadn't erupted before, then all hell had broken loose now. The massive's spider's appetite was insatiable and indiscriminate, twisted fangs piercing bodies and clawed spindly legs pinning unfortunates to the ground, crushed beneath the beast's weight.  In all his life, Kenai had never seen such stomach-turning carnage. The sound alone was enough to drain the color from his face and make him cringe. "I... uh... I-I think we should get the hell out of here, Deo...." he muttered to his mentor.

Deo looked over at his horrified student, he understood while he himself had witnessed such things in the past his student witnessed horrible things of a different kind.  Not wanting to put the young man in further danger he nodded in agreement and suggested they make a move to get out while the massive spider was still occupied with its noisy victims.  With any luck it might take out their target for them any way he thought to himself.  "To the far wall.", the older man suggested to his apprentice giving him a pat on the shoulder.  They wanted to avoid any contact and remind unnoticed while the dust swirled through the air of the already dim cavern.  While the monster was occupied they'd have to swiftly backtrack or make there way out of wherever Macky made his way in.  Deoku knew there had to be a safer route the tyrant and his crew took to get in here. As rowdy as that bunch was there was no way they snuck pass that spider every time they came down here.

All too eager to put as much distance between himself and the creature of nightmares as possible, Kenai did as his mentor instructed, being mindful to pick his way as carefully and silently as possible, doing his best to avoid watching the gristly scene unfolding in the chamber. As they beat a hasty retreat, the screams of pain and horror echoed after them and despite himself, Kenai felt deep pity for them all. He wouldn't wish such an end on anyone. 

Just as they got to the mouth of the archway, loose rumble began to rain down, shaken loose by the massive spider's form crashing against pillars too old to withstand the weight as it thrashed about in its feeding frenzy, a stone just missing Kenai by inches, drawing his attention upwards, "Oh shit... Run!" 

Like a domino effect, the little pebbles of disintegrating stone soon became chunks and then slabs, the whole upper portion of the ceiling caving in, a shower of roots, soil, stone, and webs, the dust made all the thicker on the air now reeking of death, mold, and damp earth. The young striker bolted to avoid most of the debris raining down over their heads but could not avoid all of it, getting clipped by a falling brick that left him slightly dazed and stumbling.

Deoku watched as it seemed like the world was collapsing around them; the retreat becoming more dangerous as the spider occupied itself its newly found meals.  More importantly, he saw his student in a dire situation.  As the debris became larger by the moment he too took a hit to the left shoulder but had to shrug it off and help support Kenai through the collapsing tunnel as quickly as possible.  But he knew at their current rate neither of them would make it; he had to act fast and think just as quickly.  "I was going to save this for a bigger fight but I have to get you out of here alive kid." he grunted as he helped a dazed Kenai move along.  The striker quickly focused his energy and chi, causing his body temperature to raise greatly so much so that it began to become visible to the naked eye.  More notably the gauntlets on his arms almost seemed to take on a life of their own; as the hard shiny metal armor began to segment and cover his entire upper body. Between the segmented lines, his energy could be seen glowing red like molten magma.

Just as the change completed a large stone slab was coming down to crush them both, but suddenly four mysterious figures appeared surrounding the two men.  Dressed exactly like Deoku and around the same height and size.; they shattered the stone into dust and small pebbles with relative ease. Deoku quickly hoisted Kenai onto his back as the four figures disappeared just as quickly as they came and ran forward as quickly as he could with the extra weight on his shoulders. The four silhouettes appeared and disappeared as if teleporting clearing the way for the strikers until they finally made it through the smaller tunnel out of immediate danger.

Although stunned by the blow, he managed to keep most of his wits about him, ever stubborn and iron-willed, always refusing to lose control. He caught sight of Deoku as his mentor made it to his side, shrugging off a hit to his shoulder and together the pair made a dash for safety, the rumbling of the collapsing building now drowning out the screams of terror in the previous chamber, the ground quaking as heavy slabs of stone impacted the floor of the catacombs. 

When the older Striker spoke, Kenai realized through the throb in his head and the blood that blurred the vision of his left eye that their situation was indeed dire and for a moment, didn't think they would make it out in time. Then the warmth engulfed him, golden light radiating from Deoku's form slowly and building. The spectacle he witnessed after was baffling and awe-inspiring but they had no time for questions. With his balance somewhat recovered, the pair bolted for the tunnel that they initially entered through, dust all but pursuing them up it as the previous chamber collapsed in on its self. Blindly fighting through the suffocating dust, they, at last, broke out of the tunnel and out of the concealed entrance, covered in dirt and debris, coughing and sputtering just as the abandoned building that hid Macky's secret lair toppled inwards. 

That was certainly going to draw attention.

Once outside Deo swiftly released his power and the armor that surrounded his body began to retract and his hair relaxed once again; restoring him to his normal appearance. As the two took a moment to catch their breathe Deoku quickly threw Kenai's cloak over him, then untied his own from around his waist; thankful that his power hadn't disintegrated the item and placing it on himself as well.   "Let's move to a spot that will draw less attention Ken.", He suggested knowing that soon would be on this area.  They needed to make their way away from the building as it collapsed sending a large cloud of dust traveling down the stone streets.   The pair made their way away from being associated with the chaotic scene; far enough to simply be two people walking along a road in a nearby area around the time it happened.  To lighten the mood Deoku commented to his student, "Well...at least we solved a REALLY big bug problem for them."  Once a safe distance away; he directed Kenai toward a decent place to sit and gather himself and inspect the hit he took to his head. 

Kenai kept pace with his mentor as people hurried past them to where the building collapsed, curious on lookers and genuinely concerned folk from Calpheon rushing to see if anyone needed help. By the time they were a good distance away, a large crowd had gathered and Calpheon guards were also on the scene, taking control of the situation. Keeping his cloak around himself, the younger Striker kept close to Deoku and snickered at his joking quip, remarking," No kidding. Stuff of Nightmares." When at last they found a place to take a breather, Kenai took a seat on a stone bench, blowing a sigh of relief as he removed his cloak and dusted himself off. They were going to need a bath for sure after their little spelunking misadventure. Hazel eyes blinked curiously as Deoku hovered before him, inspecting the injury to his head. A puffy laceration, now bruised, was on his scalp above his left eye, partially in his hairline. The blood had dried by now but the injury looked tender but fortunately, it did not appear to need stitches, just a good cleaning and some TLC. "Give it to me straight, Doc... am I dying?" he asked in mock dismay, clearly not having lost his sense of humor.

Deoku chuckled, "Luckily for you its nothing serious as long as we get it cleaned up and yo make sure to tend to it.  We'll do that soon as we get back to the inn."  Deo then sat himself down as well finally taking in a breathe and bushing off his clothes.  He winced slightly as the pain from the injury finally kicked in now that the adrenaline had worn off. Inspecting it he was glad that nothing was broken but just bruised instead.  He'll wrap it up and it should be fine in a few days. "Man what a day....  After this, I think I'll be out cold for quite a while once we hit the bed." A chuckle of agreement slipped Kenai's lips as he leaned back, putting his weight on his palms, stretching his back and neck with a satisfying pop, a sigh following after, "No kidding. We have a lot of explaining to do to Tabitha. I wouldn't want to fill out that paperwork...."A hand rose to run back through his hair, shaking out any residual dust and debris. "A power nap doesn't sound half bad actually." he mused. 

"Ugh yeah, I think I'll save talking to her for tomorrow.", he replied in exhaustion knowing that it would be a lot to explain to Tabitha. The striker sigh as he slapped both hands down on his knees motivating himself to get up. "Welp kid let's get moving back to the inn.  If I get too comfortable here much longer I may just find myself waking up out here in the morning.", he joked looking to his Kenai.  "That and we need to clean up that wound of yours and wrap up my shoulder before we get some sleep.   Feeling well enough to move?", he asked knowing that Kenai was a bit dazed earlier. 

With a slight dip of his chin in a nod, Kenai rose to his feet, the throbbing in his head having subsided some, "Yeah, I'm good. Let's go, a hot bath is calling my name." he remarked with a cheeky grin, falling into step beside his teacher. 

As they made their way back towards the inn, they could spot the large crowd that had gathered to view the damage they had left behind with some guards removing rubble and setting them into piles while others talked to possible witnesses. Fortunately, it did not look like anyone got hurt in the chaos, and for that, Kenai was grateful. After a moment of thought, he asked, "Think Macky made it out?"

With a sigh, the older man replied," I'd hope not, but what I've learned over the years is that...bad things rarely happen to bad people. It's the good ones that usually suffer the most. Funny how the world works." Deoku looked up to the starry sky a moment in thought as they walked. "Before we got out of there I was thinking.  There's no way he and his noisy crew snuck through that spider's layer every time they entered that hideout.  There had to be another safe way in assuming he survived that's how he got out; not lifting a finger to help his comrades.", Deoku expressed a bit annoyed at the thought that such a foul individual possibly escaped to continue his wrongdoings.  "I can't lie Kenai a darker part of me wanted to toss something his way to get the spiders attention on him directly, but I'm not that heartless plus I didn't want to subject you to more of that scene."

Deoku then looked forward once more as he walked; letting go of any frustration just as fast as it came. "Either way even if he made it out I doubt it was unharmed. Plus he took a big hit to his group.  He won't be operating at full power anytime soon.  As the saying goes it's hard to find good help.", he smirked at the thought of ruining Macky's stranglehold on the city."But what I wanted the most was to get those guys off the streets of Calpheon for innocent people like Olive.", he finally explained to his friend.

Kenai listened as the older Striker spoke, nodding slowly in understanding. He had suspected all along that the main motive behind the night's events had been because of his mentor's newfound attraction and in truth, deep down, a part of him felt fiercely jealous. But he hid it well and besides, he was sincerely happy for Deoku, however complicated his own emotions were. It was nothing against the half-elf, after meeting her, he realized just how dumb his unfounded jealousy really was. She was sweet and kind-hearted, almost motherly. In fact, in a way, apart her did remind him of what he could recall of his mom. Which was even weirder. He was never good at sorting out his emotions on a deeply thought out level anyway. 

"I wouldn't wish that nightmare on anyone," he commented, forcing his thoughts back to the topic at hand, a shudder running up his back. Vaguely, he could still hear the screams in the back of his mind. "But if Macky did get out, lets at least hope things will be quiet for a bit. It might actually make Tabitha's job easier in tracking him down since now he has nowhere under the radar to hide." They made it to the inn's entrance and trudged inside, weaving through the night crowd and making a beeline for the stairs up to their room on the second floor.

"Exactly, if the Calpheon guards do their part too they should be able to catch him and make him pay for everything he's done.", Deoku agreed.  "His allies are gone and so is his rock to hide under. Uhh, no pun intended.", the older man scratched his head realizing what he had just said. as he walked upstairs to their room.  Stopping at the door he pulled out a key and opened it signaling for Kenai to head in first and he soon followed closing it behind them.  Deoku then headed to their bags first; grabbing supplies to clean Kenai's wound and tape up his own shoulder. Also, the man took out two potions to help speed up the healing process once they finished tending to the minor injuries.

Kenai shuffled into the room, feeling tired after the day's excitement. Once the door was closed behind them, Kenai pulled his tunic off, leaving his upper body bare to the cool evening air, tossing the soiled garment into a corner to wash later. He stifled a yawn as he turned for his bed and seated himself on the foot end, watching Deoku as he went about collecting the items he needed to doctor them both up. He considered the older Striker for a moment in silence, his expression thoughtful before at length, he spoke, "You seeing Olivette tomorrow?" he wondered aloud.

As he brought the items over to Kenai; the older man listened to his friend's question as he sat the medical items upon the bed and began to treat his wound. "Hmm, well the plan was to meet her tomorrow from what she and I spoke of.  Unless something happens I should be able to.", Deo replied as he used a clean cloth with fresh water to wipe away the dry blood and applied a liquid to a clean small white pad cleaning the wound lightly with it.  Finally grabbing another small strip and coated the bottom side with a natural herbal ointment to help the wound heal faster without leaving a scar. "Did you have something in mind after it's done?", he asked curiously. After the small piece of gauze was secure Deoku stood up discarding his own upper body armor, and wiping off the area of his injury as well before beginning to tape it up.

Kenai nodded slowly before staying still, letting his mentor dress his injury. At length, he remarked, "No, just asking... She's... nice. Not really what I expected, to be honest. Elves tend to be... well... different." When Deoku turned his attention to himself, Kenai stood and lent a hand in tending to the older Striker's injured shoulder, fingers carefully working around the tender shoulder. "It's good seeing you happy," he added after a moment of thoughtful silence.

"Different? Oh you mean more blonde, porcelain skin, and tall like Leilani was?", he asked Kenai.  "I think that unique look she has is a part of her appeal.;aside from her kind personality." , he paused for a moment as Kenai came to help him. "Come on Ken...tell me what's actually on your mind though.  I can hear it in your voice. You want to say or ask me something but seem unable to put it in words.",  he said to the younger man.

Kenai considered it a moment, "No, not appearance... I was meaning more personality. Most elves are confident, self-assured, kinda egocentric.... They tend to be assholes, basically." he stated to be plainer, shoulders bobbing, "Leilani was an exception although she did sport the stereotypical look. Olive's personality was just not what I expected is all." He fell silent as he helped Deoku with his injury, mulling over his next thoughts at his Mentors prompt. 

At length, coming up short on what to say, he shrugged again, an abrupt bob of his shoulders, "I dunno. Stupid, I guess... I can't describe it. Guess I'm just... protective maybe, I dunno." he muttered, flustered. "Ignore me, I'm being childish." there was disappointment in his tone, more at himself than anything. He was never very good at putting his emotions into words. And there was no way he was going to outright and tell Deoku he was jealous of his new half-elf girlfriend.

"Ahh you meant more like Leilani's sister then.", Deoku laughed a bit at the thought of the difference between his old friends.  "Well, I think that sweetness of Olive's is what hooked my interest.  Had I approached her and she turned out to be like the rest I doubt we'd be able to have this talk at all since I would have lost interest.  How does a guy get lucky enough to meet two  kind elves in his life after all.", he told Kenai. "Huh, now that I think about it the two women who caught my affections the most have both been elves.  If this keeps up I might have to believe I have a thing for them even though I don't."  , he joked as they finished up wrapping his shoulder.  The tall striker then stood up, resting a hand on Kenai's shoulder. "It's ok Kenai I get it.  We look out for each other; that's what we do.  I wouldn't call that stupid or childish; if anything I appreciate it."

Kenai offered a small nod, grateful for the acknowledgment and the change in topic. He offered the older man a small lopsided grin as he received the pat on his shoulder, remarking cheekily in a playful quip, "Maybe you do have a type. Although Olivette is only half-elf, isn't she? So maybe not so much a type as a reference to something exotic." He contemplated a moment before adding, "She is very pretty. I've never seen anyone who looks like her before. Especially her hair and eyes... they're very unique. But different is nice." 

The younger Striker made his way towards his pack and pulled out a canteen of water, taking a much-needed drink. Once finished, he paused and crinkled his nose, remarking offhandedly, "I'm gross. I need a wash." It was true, they were both particularly unpleasant smelling and looking for that matter, filthy from dust, soil, cobwebs, and who knew what else, the stench of stale moldy earth and sweat clinging to them without mercy. Tossing his canteen onto his bed, he made a beeline for the door, more than likely heading out for a dip in the river as they had no bathrooms in these cheap rooms.

Deoku stroked the facial hair on his chin in thought for a moment, "Exotic....hmmm guess I never looked at it that way before.  Could be some truth to that though."  He then noticed Kenai heading for the door after listening to his comment about their current state of hygiene. "You're definitely right there. No way I'm going out with anyone tomorrow looking and smelling like this.  Hell, I'd turn myself down." , he followed soon after and headed out with his pupil. "I think just seeing that giant spider alone made me feel disgusting," he commented as they quickly went downstairs once more.

Kenai snickered as they made their way out, heading towards the nearest flowing water source which happened to be the river just outside the city's walls. Once there, they found a shallow, secluded spot and there Kenai began to undress. "You know Deo... I didn't really expect to like it here so much. I mean, yeah Calpheon is a loud and busy place but at the same time... I don't know, there is a charm to it I think." 

He slipped a barefoot into the cool water and once adjusted to the cool temperature, slid in up to his waist, a soft gasp from the cold against his skin. Inhaling a deep breath he took the plunge and daringly dunked his head under the water, coming back up for breath once his hair was saturated, hands wiping water away from his face. It was refreshing.

The older striker nodded in agreement with his companion, " It's definitely an interesting place.  THere's plenty to see and do and no shortage of work for us I'm sure.  Especially after hearing all the things we were told earlier tonight." Deoku soon followed after removing his clothing;  submerging himself into the cold water and waiting for his body to adjust to the temperature. "But there's a lot of entertainment to be had as well, I'm sure once we get to know this city better there will always be something to keep our interest.", he added as he began washing the dust and grime from his face and hair.

Kenai nodded in agreement, hands running along his arms and chest to wash away the remains of the day. He considered the events so far and was surprised at just how much trouble they had already gotten into despite having only been in the city a few days. "You're right. We haven't been here long and already we're up to our elbows in mischief." he quipped jokingly. "The region is beautiful though. I look forward to exploring more of the city and outside its walls. I'm sure we can prove useful in more places than just in the city. I heard there's an arena along the outer wall too. It'll be fun to test some of the locals." he mused.

"You're not wrong there the scenery around here is top notch; mountains, lakes, green almost everywhere outside of the walls. It's a very nice region."   Deo dunked his head under water getting rid of any missed debris before coming back up and continuing to clean off the rest of his body.  "Yes, there's definitely plenty of other areas surrounding this city that could use our assistance too." , he mentioned in agreement as he continued to scrub all over. "Ha, who knows if we do well enough we may even make a name for ourselves and people come to find us instead.  Though I'm not always sure that's a good thing, because enemies will know where to find us too." the older man stated; half thinking aloud.

Kenai hummed in thought at that, nodding slowly. "Yeah... at least we'll keep busy." A small smirk played along his lips then as he thought of something, throwing Deoku a cheeky sidelong glance, "Just do me a favor old man and don't get too fat on Olive's cooking!" He couldn't help but chuckle, moving past his mentor casually as he inched closer to the bank, satisfied he was clean enough.

Deoku chuckled.  "I'm going to be too busy keeping you on your toes, and smacking around the no goods in this city to get fat.", the striker joked as he moved to get out of the cold river water.  "Though I have a feeling you'll be over there snacking as much as possible when you have the chance.", Deoku teased his student.  He then dried himself and gathered up his clothes; putting them on as the two men got ready to head back to the inn and complete their long day.  "Keep your eye out as well Ken, never know when that special someone will come into your life as well.  Though I guess I can't say that just yet either; she and I just met." , he thought to himself. "But hopefully this will work out differently than the last elf I went out with."

Kenai finished dressing and paused to consider his companion's words before offering a small half-hearted shrug. "Eh, I guess...." He ran a hand back through his undercut, dark chocolate brown tresses slicking back along his crown with the motion as he avoided eye contact for the moment. "Never know, life is weird that way," he added as he collected his own items and fell into pace beside Deoku, the pair heading back into town the way they had come.

He looked toward his friend sensing something was bothering him and asked, "Hmm, so you're going to tell me what's on your mind?  I can tell something seems to be bugging you." The older man stated as he walked back to the inn with his student.

"It's nothing." He flashed his companion a wry grin, "Just tired. Its been a long day. Apologies in advance if I snore like a bear later." he quipped jokingly.

Deoku laughed, "We'll both hibernate well tonight my friend." he patted Kenai on the shoulder as they headed back to finally end their day.