Chapter 25: The Face Behind the Spidersilks

Kester: You’re with the Militia, aren’t you!?

Kester: Then what the hell are you doing here!? We had a deal!

Kester: We don’t mess with Militia patrols in the area, and the Militia don’t mess with our operation! That was the deal we had with Mayor Willix!

Rook: Willix…why am I not surprised…

Kester: Yeah…so…get the hell out of here!

Rook: Willix doesn’t speak for me. I’m here to put a stop to this trap.

Kester: Fine! More experience for me! Don’t cry to me about broken deals when you’re dying!

Iricryo: Yeah…actually I’m healing pretty fast…see I’m wearing –

Rook: Save it! Take your friend over there and make some distance from here. I can’t have you getting in the way or being used as hostages.

He picks up Melanie from the ground and carries her away, grabbing his hat as he goes.

Rook: That unconscious woman was Melanie the Eagle, wasn’t it? … I just saved a scammer and a thief…great…

Sniper dashes through the town, a trail of dust picking up in his wake. He looks behind him, seeing Oscar running after him just a few building behind.

Sniper: I’m using my Swift Flee! How the hell is he keeping up!?

A close up of Oscar’s face show his face is strained, sweat dripping and his eyes focused forward in extreme determination. His teeth are gritted and his mouth twisted back.

Sniper: I don’t know how long I can keep this up…this is so draining…

He stumbles forward a few more steps and stops to learn forward against a building.

He looks at Oscar, who reaches only a few feet away from him. Just as Oscar is about to reach him, Oscar flops forward, landing face-first, hard into the ground.

He inches forward and examines Oscar, kicking him lightly with the tip of his foot. Oscar snores loudly.

Sniper: He…over-exhausted himself.

Sniper: Maybe after I’ve had a moment to catch my breath.

Kester swings wildly at Rook with his bandages. Rook dodges and slices through a line of bandages with ease. He rushes forward, slicing away at the bandages in his way, and slices straight through Kester. Kester’s body explodes, bursting into lines of bandages. The bandages try to consume Rook, but he jumps out of the way. Behind Rook, bandages pick up from the ground to form Kester’s body.

Kester: You can’t hit me Rook, you see –

As Kester is finishing his statement, Rook turns around sharply, swinging his sword with him, cutting straight through Kester. Again, Kester’s body explodes into bandages. His voice is heard coming somewhere from the many bandages that float around, surrounding Rook.

Kester: Now that wasn’t very nice, not letting me finish.

Kester’s body takes form again, this time on top of a high piece of rubble.

Kester: Maybe I’ll save your head after I kill you, stick it up outside to warn other Militia about breaking our deal. What do you think?

Rook silently cuts through another strand of bandages, then rushes forward towards Kester.

The bandages that surround Rook all begin to close in at once, and in a wrapping motion try to slice through him. He slices at them cutting most of them, and then turns to block the rest with the broad end of his sword.

Kester: You thought I wouldn’t notice that you’re missing an arm, didn’t you!

Kester: Well, that aside…I devised a genius plan to take advantage of it! While you’re busy defending against my bandages hitting you from that side…I’ll hit you directly on you armless side! You won’t be able to defend against it.

Rook braces back, still blocking slices of bandages with the broad end of his sword.

Iricryo: Damnit, I don’t even know where I’m going.

He turns around, finding Ira hiding around the corner, motioning for him.

Iricryo: I thought you were captured.

Ira: I managed to escape, my boyfriend is still caught, though. We have to help him! Follow me.

Ira: The dungeons up there. It’s guarded, though, and the guy guarding it is stronger than me.

Iricryo: I think I’m ready for another fight.

Rook is holding his bandages in a new, dark black hand. A dark black arm with spikes protruding at the shoulder and at the wrist now replaces Rook’s missing arm. It is an inhumanly muscular arm. He holds the bandages tight with this arm.

Rook: Now I’ve got a direct link to you. No way to evade my attack now.

Kester: What a dirty trick, to pretend to be handicapped the entire fight! Do you really think I’ll accept losing from such a dirty tactic!

He brings his bandages up to his mouth and bites straight through them, severing the link between him and Rook. He spits out torn pieces of bandages.

Rook: Hm, guess I shouldn’t have hesitated to make the finishing blow. Next time, I won’t hesitate.

His bandages once again attempt to slice Rook. Rook holds up his new arm and the attack bounces off of it. Rook reaches out with it and grabs though bandages.

He pulls hard of those bandages, sending Kester flying forward towards Rook.

With his other hand, Rook swings down hard on Kester with his sword. Kester is split straight down the middle, and after standing half a moment, bleeding profusely, he drops face-first to the ground.

Rook sheathes his sword across his back and looks in the direction Iricryo ran off in.

Rook: Guess I better catch up to them. A scammer and a thief…sigh…

Man: It’s just like you, Oscar. To act so determined and then give up right when you’re about to actually accomplish something.

Man: Falling asleep now…pathetic…of all the ways to die…well I guess that’s the best I can ever expect from you.

Sniper: Heh, finally got enough energy to lift this again. Now I can finally finish this kid.

He aims his right down at Oscar’s head. As his finger is pulling the trigger, Oscar’s eyes spring open. He rolls quickly out of the way, the bullet grazing by his face by just a few inches. He springs to his feet and faces off with Sniper.

Oscar: Whew…close…please don’t tell me you’re going to run again.

Sniper: I don’t think either of us have the energy for that right now.

Sniper: I don’t think you’re friend is coming.

Sarah: Ugh, I think I’m lost. Which way did they go?

Sniper: So I guess that means we can have a fair, one-on-one fight.

Ira and Iricryo arrive at the top of the stairs. There is a single door at the top of the staircase.

Iricryo opens the door and they go through. They enter a large, open room. The lighting is dim and comes only from the windows across the walls.

Iricryo: Doesn’t look like a jail cell to me.

He takes a few steps in, and Ira closes the door behind them, slowly, and locks it. Iricryo doesn’t seem to notice. Iricryo sees something stand out near the edge of a room. It is a chair, and a large, looming figure sits comfortably in it.

Figure: I’m the owner and leader of this fine town. Allow me to properly introduce myself.

He stands up, coming into the light. He is a big guy, very muscular, with black hair neatly slicked to the side.  A single spike of hair comes down slightly on the right side of his forehead. He has calm, dark black eyes. He wears dark black, metallic armor with the symbol of the Spidersilks drawn across the center.

Meso: My name is Meso, pleased to meet you.

As he say this, a title flashes under him, reading, “Meso, the Leader of the Spidersilks.”