Dark, dingy, and wet, the corridors of Spider's lair gave off a putrid stench, I cringed as the scent filled my nose. A viscous, slimy liquid and years of dirt covered nearly every inch of the unwashed walls, or at least, every inch you could see. The walls themselves were welded together at eye level, with slight curves giving the sullied white a futuristic look. In the Spider's lair dozens of pathways were blocked off or too cluttered with crates to pass through, the only clear path led directly to the Spider, the Shore's only law.
As I neared the final turn before the Spider's quarters I heard a grunt and a thud as someone fell to the ground. A cloaked figure knelt, chained, at the Spider's chair. The stranger's cloak was a clean, light, nylon sheet wrapped around his head and shoulder, it was a light gray with a series of white circles expanding from the center. As I walked closer I noticed the cloak was the only article on the figure that stayed clean, his boots and chest were entirely covered in mud and his hands were covered in his own blood. An Eliksni guard stood menacingly behind the chained man holding a metal spear in his right hands. The Eliksni's spear was tipped with an electrified blade, arcs continuously zapped from the tip of the blade to the end of the shaft.
"So I'll ask you one more time," The spider took a breath, his rebreather hissing "what were you doing in the halls of my humble abode" The spider gave off a slight chuckle and waved his hand at the guard behind the stranger. Without hesitation the guard let loose a blow with the blunt end of the shaft, hitting the kneeling man's back and letting off a noticeable cracking sound. The ghost the spider fiddled with suddenly came to life.
"Stop that! Let us go." the ghost cried out. It started shaking violently to escape the Spider's grasp, but to no avail.
"Oh! You seem to be in the mood to talk, how intriguing" The Spider spoke slowly, every syllable seemed as if they were attempts to guide the conversation to a favorable outcome. He twisted and turned the purple ghost's shell so it faced him and growled "What were you doing in my halls?"
"We were looking f… for some place to hide." the ghost said sheepishly, no doubt sensing the disturbing hunger in the Spider's low growls. The Spider clenched his upper left hand into a fist and the guard grabbed onto the stranger's head and yanked it backwards, revealing the man as awoken.
"Oh no, look what we've got here," The spider said, shifting in his chair. "Now, I should hand you back over, huh. It's only that I heard the queen hasn't been seen in a while. It almost makes me want to keep you..." The spider stroked his rebreather, all the while the awoken man knelt in complete silence. The ghost struggled slightly, reminding the Spider of its presence "Oh, right. You're a guardian, the vanguard might not pay a whole lot, but that's better than nothing at all… and most definitely better than wasting my time having your blood wiped off my floor." the spider let out a hardy laugh, motioning for his guards to drag the bloody, disheveled guardian away. His matted down hair partially hid his face, but as they started dragging him away I got a clear look at him. A man I'd never thought I'd see in person, the former awoken prince, Uldren Sov.
"Wait," I finally called out. The Eliksni guard stopped and turned to face me. He glowered and for a moment, just a moment, I felt like prey. "I'll pay for the guardian."
"With what" he asked interrogatively. He leaned forwards in his throne with great intrigue, waiting for an offer he couldn't resist.
"I've got 250,000 glimmer," I answered, trying hard not to break my assertive demeanor "and I do good work fo-"
"We have an agreement," the Spider interjects "and besides, that's… how do you say it? Chump change, the Vanguard would pay double for another pair of boots on the ground…" the Spider paused, thinking over his options " and if they send him to put down that Fanatic again I'll get a return on investment!"
"Come on I'm ce-"
"No deal"