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Chapter 8: Career Criminals

(The Evergreen Forest: Later that night)

The Spider Guild.

A shadowy crime syndicate of tremendous scale with dealings in just about every illegal act imaginable.

Ever wonder where the villains of Eternia get the materials to build their doomsday weapons, or where they buy their groceries?

That's right, they go to the Spider Guild.

Whether it's bank loans, prostitutes, medical care or classified intel, the Spider Guild is one stop shopping for all your nefarious needs.

The Spider Guild.

Making evil a little bit easier for over 20 years.

Now with locations on the Light Hemisphere.

Near the southern tip of the Evergreen Forest, there sits a secluded glen with a river running through the middle. Officially this site has no name, but in recent months the residents have started calling it Chulatown.

Although, calling this place a 'town' might be a bit of an exaggeration. Really it was more like a military base. Complete with guard towers and a massive, presumably electrified fence around the perimeter. Only one entrance; a large gate guarded by two burly looking Arachna. And armed with Neural Disruptors no less.

Not exactly a cakewalk, but it could be worse… somehow… probably.

Anyway, on a hill about a half a mile away, our three heroes, Adora, Adam and Orko, watched the scene from the cover of some native foliage and began concocting their strategy.

"Well… I'm stumped." Adora said flatly. "Electric fence. Motion sensors. Sniper rifles. This place is like a mini Fright Zone."

"I know, even Snake Mountain doesn't have this much security." Adam commented before turning to his impish companion. "Orko, are you sure Battle Cat's in there?"

"Not like… 100% sure." The Trollan Mage admitted awkwardly. "But while I was looking for you, I overheard some of the guards talking about some rare animal they just captured. So it seemed like the best place to start."

"Yeah… I guess that makes sense." The young Prince replied uneasily. "But still, I don't like this. There are way too many Spiders down there."

"So, on a scale of 1 to 10, just how dangerous are these Spider guys?" Adora asked, attempting to take command of the situation.

"Individually, about 2 or 3, but in a swarm this size, I'd say 9, at least." Adam answered, still sounding anxious. "But none of this makes any sense. How could they have a base this close to the capitol? The Royal Guards do flybys of this area three times a months. How can my Father not know about this?"

"I think I know." Orko chimed in unexpectedly. "You see that tower?"

Adora followed where the Trollan was pointing and, sure enough, there was a tower in the middle of the base. A tall, thin, crystalline structure with a large gemstone nestled on the top; a black opal, unless she was mistaken. To her eyes, the whole thing looked suspiciously like First Ones Tech.

"We have devices like that back on Trolla." The Mage continued. "They're for projecting three-dimensional illusions. Only this one's a whole lot bigger."

"So from the air, this probably all looks like an open field." Adam reasoned, before his tone quickly turned caustic. "But that still wouldn't fool a sensor scan or anyone down here on the ground. Someone in the Royal Guard has to know about this! There's no other explanation!"

"We can worry about that later." Adora spoke up, attempting to be the voice of reason. "Right now we need to think of a way to get in there without getting our heads blown off."

"sigh… You're right. I just… I need a second to think." The young Prince replied as he forced himself to calm down. "We need to find… some kind of hole in their defenses."

Adam stopped midsentence as he caught sight of something on the ground. He reached down and lifted up a fistful of loose gravel.

For reasons that eluded Adora, he seemed quite pleased with himself.

"Orko, magic us up some disguises." He said in a commanding yet excited tone. "I've got an idea."

XXX

(Twenty minutes later)

"This is never going to work." Adora said flatly as the two of them approached the main gate.

"Of course it'll work. You worry too much." Adam replied, sounding much more confident. "Just do like I told you and let me do all the talking."

The young heroine rolled her eyes, but chose not to argue any further. After all, it's not like she had any better ideas.

But still, this was so humiliating.

Granted, the plan made sense, in theory. The Spiders are businessmen. They love money. So put on some disguises, enchant some rocks to look like gold and bluff your way in. No fighting. No bloodshed. And she understood why Orko had to stay behind in the forest; being the only Trollan on Eternia, he was too easy to recognize.

But what she didn't understand was why her disguise had to be so… pink.

Adam walked several steps ahead of her, dressed in what he claimed were the trappings of a master sorcerer. A red and gold robe concealed most of his body, while a matching cap hid most of his face. He even had a long white beard to complete ensemble. All in all, he did look quite distinguished.

By way of contrast, Adora looked and felt utterly ridiculous. She looked like a milkmaid. A bright pink milkmaid.

'Adam better be right about this, or I'm gonna…'

But before she could finish that thought, they reached the front gate.

Now it was time for Adam to do his stuff.

"Halt! Who goes there?" asked one of the guard spiders, aiming his weapon directly at the young Prince's head. "State your name and business."

"Hello, you fellows." The young Prince replied in the best old man impression he could muster. "I am the Dark Wizard Blazvitan, and this is my servant, Mimi. So sorry to just drop in unannounced, but I heard through the grapevine that you've got some rare animals for sale and I was hoping to have a look at them to see if I wanted to add any of them to my menagerie. May I please speak with your commander?"

The two Arachna looked at each other, their expressions totally unreadable. Adora wondered briefly if the Spiders could speak to each other telepathically, or if they were just really good at nonverbal communication. In either case, her thoughts were quickly derailed when one of them spoke up again.

"We're going to need to see some ID." Said the same one who spoke before.

"Oh, yes, of course. How foolish of me. I have it right here." Adam said, still in character, as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny satchel. He then held out his opposite hand and gently poured the contents into his open palm. "Will this be sufficient?"

The guards' eyes, all twelve of them, went wide with amazement as they looked at the 'gold' in the 'wizard's' hand. For a moment, it appeared as though they were in a trance. But a second later they both shook it off and smiled.

"Yeah, I think that'll do just fine." Said the same guard, whom seemed to do all the talking. "Thrax, you wait here. I'll go get the Commander."

The other Spider, apparently named Thrax, nodded and allowed his friend to go inside.

Meanwhile, Adora was completely floored.

This ridiculous plan was actually working.

Maybe, just this once, everything would go smoothly and things wouldn't dissolve into violence.

XXX

(Meanwhile, inside the compound)

The electrified chain-link fence which surrounded Chulatown served as an excellent deterrent for intruders, but it did not provide much in the way of privacy. So keeping that in mind, the guard made sure he was well out of sight and earshot before activating his communicator.

"This had better be important, Spinator." Said the voice on the other end, sounding deeply, deeply annoyed. "Because I specifically told you not to bother me."

"Apologies, Councilman Chula. But we have a situation at the main gate." The guard, apparently named Spinator, replied respectfully. "Prince Adam and some ugly peasant girl just showed up out of nowhere pretending to be customers. How do you want us to proceed?"

"Hmm… Now that is an interesting development." The councilman said amusedly. "Tell Thrax to let them in and run Maneuver 17-B-66. Once that's done I'll meet you both in the stockade. But don't do anything else until I get there. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Good. Now get going. And whatever you do, don't damage the girl. She could be very… valuable."

(Twenty-two minutes later)

With an UMPH and an OOOMF, Adam and Adora were tossed unceremoniously into one of the cells in the Chulatown Stockade. After inviting them in and exposing their ruse, the Spiders made quick work of our young heroes by way of their paralyzing venom, which was nonlethal to anything larger than a rabbit, and their special webbing, which was only slightly weaker than steel. To put it simply, they weren't going anywhere in a hurry.

"Ugh…" Adora groaned as she forced herself into a seated position. "Well, that worked!"

"I don't understand it." Adam said, sounding genuinely confused and distraught. "My plan was perfect. What went wrong?"

"Perhaps I can shed some light on that." Said an unfamiliar, yet cultured voice from somewhere close by.

Moments later, a pair of Arachna stepped in front of their cell door. The first was a short, stocky looking fellow wearing ornate silk robes; unlike the two generic guards they'd met outside, this one was covered from head to toe in thick, reddish brown fur. The other was taller and leaner, with dark blue skin and a jet black business suit; although he was clearly male, his posture and manner of walking was, at least from Adora's perspective, somewhat effeminate.

"Please, allow me to introduce myself." The short, hairy Spider said with mock politeness. "I am Councilman Taran Chula. Commander of this base and all surrounding territories."

"A member of the Guild's High Council?" the young Prince asked in a way that made it sound more like a statement. "I suppose I should be honored."

"Watch your tone, brat." The thin one said in a voice that matched his walk. "You stand before one of the future Masters of Eternia."

"Now, now, calm yourself, Webstor. He's just venting his frustration." The Councilman said good-naturedly before turning his attention back on Adam. "Please forgive my secretary, Your Highness. He's not as good with children as I am, and then tend to make him antsy."

"We're not children!" Adora spat angrily.

"Objectively, you are." Chula replied mockingly. "And as for your previous question, your plan failed because of three key factors. 1) All Guild Foot Soldiers are required to go through basic levels of psychic training, which allows them to see through crude illusions. Really, it was all my guards could do to not burst out laughing when you offered them a bag of rocks."

Ah, so she'd been right. The Spiders can communicate telepathically. Or at least the grunts can.

"2) 'Blazvitan' is a Qadian word that means 'Pig-Face'."

"What? I thought it meant handsome!" Adam exclaimed, before his expression turned to one of sudden epiphany. "Oh… so that's why King Carnivus' daughter keeps laughing at me."

"Which leads us to 3) Your acting is terrible." Chula finished his explanation, putting extra emphasis on that last word to jam the knife in deeper. "In short, this was, in my professional opinion, the sorriest, most half-assed exhibition I've ever seen."

"Okay, so I blew it. You don't have to be mean about it."

"I very much feel that I do." The Councilman replied cruelly. "I mean seriously, what were you thinking? What was going through your head when you concocted this ridiculous stunt? Did you think this was a game? Or some idiotic cartoon?"

"I… I don't know…" Adam answered, his voice wavering with uncertainty. "I just wanted to prove to everyone that I was as good as my Father."

"Well you're not, and you never will be." Chula said bluntly. "But don't feel too bad about it. You and your little friend have performed a great service for the Guild today. With the money we'll make from you two, our long-term goals for this territory will pushed ahead by at least three months."

"Money? What money? What are you talking about?" Adora asked confusedly.

"Oh, did you not know? Skeletor is offering a reward. 10,000 gold pieces for the Prince's head on a plate. Plus the 20,000 we'll get from selling this." The Councilman explained as he pulled out Adora's legendary Sword of Protection. "Such a miraculous device, the way it can change its form so seamlessly. Now that I think about it, 20,000 might be too low."

"You get your filthy hands off that!" the young heroine roared with righteous indignation. "That's the Sword of She-Ra! You have no right to hold it!"

"Tsk. A typical warrior's response." Chula replied derisively. "I'll never understand you lot. Always throwing your lives away over such trivial things like honor or revenge. We Spiders may not be as strong as you talking monkeys, but we're much smarter. We never risk our lives over anything we can't hold in our hands."

"You're scum!"

"No, I'm a realist. And the reality is that gold and silver are the only things in this world of any value." The fat Spider said smugly. "And speaking of which, you're sure to bring in a hefty sum on the open market. Once you're carved up into steaks that is. I hear virgins are quite the delicacy in Ouroboros."

Chula paused to let out a deep, throaty chuckle, which made Adora grind her teeth in fury.

"Okay, that's enough gloating for now. You two! Get over here!" the Councilman called to the two guards who had apprehended them. "I have paperwork to finish and calls I have to make. Our webs should be enough to hold these two for now, but keep an eye on them anyway. And if they try anything funny, don't hesitate to kill them. Got it?"

"Yes, Sir!" the two goons saluted.

"Good. Now, let's get back to business. Come, Webstor."

"Yes, my lord."

And with that, the two officials departed. However, Webstor hung back for a moment to give Adora a disparaging glance.

"Oh, by the way, dearie. I just love your disguise." He said with a mocking smirk. "It's so… pink."

Then he laughed and slowly walked away.

By this point, Adora's blood began to boil. These Spiders, these criminal lowlifes, had no class. No respect. They made her so mad, it was all she could do not scream her lungs out. And she probably would have too, had another sound not caught her attention.

Over on the other side of the cell, Adam had his back to her. But even though she couldn't see his face, she could tell he was crying. Clearly, Chula's words had cut deep.

So, with great difficulty, she nudged herself closer and tried to comfort him.

"Hey, Adam." She whispered, trying not to alert the guards. "Don't listen to that jerk. He doesn't know what he's talking about. It was a good plan. It just… hit a little snag. That's all. It was a good plan."

"What do you mean 'was'?" Adam responded in a voice that did not sound at all despondent.

The young Prince turned his head and, to her great surprise, revealed that he was grinning from ear to ear.

He wasn't crying.

He was laughing.

Naturally, Adora had many, many questions, but before she could even try to ask, Adam held a single finger up to his mouth, which was especially surprising since he was supposed to be tied up in spider webs, indicating that he wanted her to stay quiet.

"Shhhh~" he said, his wide, foxlike grin never once leaving his face. "This next part gets pretty crazy."

End Notes:

Greetings, my faithful followers. I truly hate to impose upon you, but I find myself in the grip of an artistic crisis.

As many of you know, I promised to get back to my Star vs series once I reach a reach a satisfying stopping place with this story. And while that point is at least another eight or nine chapters away, I feel I must bring up this issue now. And that issue is… whether or not I want to do it.

Don't get me wrong, I have not abandoned my Star series and I intend to complete it at some point. In fact, I just came up for a brand new concept for the next installment that will REALLY make the series pop. But the thing is… my muse is pulling me in another direction.

You see, recently I've fallen in love with the work of Vivienne Meldrano aka Viziepop, particularly her new series, Hazbin Hotel; the pilot of which is available on YouTube. Her work has inspired me to write a brand new story. A crossover between Adventure Time and Hazbin Hotel; loosely based on the tragedy of Orpheus and Euridice.

I call it "Orpheus: The Epic of Marceline". After getting dumped by Princess Bubblegum, again, Marceline turns to the all-powerful Prismo to help her find her perfect match. And so she sets off on a journey across time, space and multiple realities to find, meet and win the heart of Charlie, the Princess of Hell. But to even get a chance, first she'll have to get through every other demon in the underworld; including Charlie's girlfriend, Charlie's business partner and, worst of all, Charlie's parents. Spoiler Alert, things are gonna get messy.

Anyway, as excited as I am about this new project, I'm not sure if I wanna go through with it. I mean, just because I think something's a good idea doesn't mean other people will like. So, I;m coming to you, my loyal readers. Should I just jump into Part 6 of my Star series as planned? Or should I take a chance on something new and different? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Peace.