Darkness surrounded him. He couldn't sense, touch, or see anything. Did he die? Is this what death looks like? Pretty lame, if you would ask him. Peter levated in the darkness, the void was apparent. As a man of science, he tested, if there was any air resistance in this haze of darkness, but there was none. Was he in space? No that can't be possible, he would have been dead already.
What happened? The only thing he knew was the spell must have gone terribly wrong and somehow he got stuck. He theorized what this peculiar space could be. Maybe, the spell sent him to a new universe, but how? As he said to MJ before, he hates magic. At least science was based on logic, it follows a pattern. Magic wasn't, this sucks! This day can't get any worse, seriously! He was willing to sacrifice himself for his loved ones and destiny said it wants more! What more can he give?
His eyes closed, attempting to contain himself. There was nothing for several minutes. Before Peter could blink a light appeared and he could see the sky again. He was at least somewhere, "Finally." The air breezed by Peter's body and he relaxed for a while. Although the air was a bit strong against his back, he didn't think much of it and sighed. Then his Peter tingle went off as Aunt May and others liked to call it. His eyes opened swiftly as his mouth opened wide.
"I'm falling!" Peter screamed, " Ok, Ok... think Peter, think. You were in this situation before, remember homecoming."
Right! There was a parachute installed in his suit.
"Activate parachute...activate parachute! Oh, come on!" Why didn't his suit react? Wasn't there any Wifi connection?
"That's just great! Peter Parker luck strikes again ladies and gentlemen!"
Being brilliant in science, Peter knew an object's speed accelerated when falling on the ground. He was already spotting the ground.
"Shit, shit shit! That's bad! Open you stupid parachute!" he frantically patted all parts of his, trying to open it manually. But to no avail. A hope came in sight though, as he discovered some huge trees and a sea nearby.
"Ok, I got an idea!" Peter planned to catapult himself with his webs, off the tree and land in the sea. It wasn't a great idea, but it was all he had. Webs shot towards the leaves, he hoped the tree trunks could withstand the force, otherwise he would end up as mud on the ground...maybe. Potentially he could survive the fall, but wasn't keen to find out.
"One...Two...THREE!" Peter pulled himself in the direction of the sea, it worked!
"Screw you destiny! No matter what you throw at m-!" He landed face-first into a wall, his brashness caused the Peter tingle to go all fuzzy.
He slowly slid off the wall and dropped to the ground, blood came out his nose and splashed on the ground.
"Ahh, this hurts." His fingers touched his nose, "Great! I think it's broken, the last thing I needed." Desperate to calm himself down and normalize the pace of his heartbeat, he slumped on the floor.
"Breath in... and out Peter. Everything is gonna be alright," an urge to sleep, came over him, his eyes started to close.
"No, Peter don't sleep, you need to know where... you... a-." his eyes shut down. All the stress, he experienced the past hours, showed it's effects on his body. Ironically, this was the first time he peacefully slept, since the world knew, he was Spider-man.
"Your weakness, Peter, is morality."
His hands tighten around Peter's neck. Peter tried to stop him, putting his hands on his face, almost too desperate.
"No good deed, goes unpunished, Peter..." Green Goblin menacingly laughed as Peter's neck cracked."
Peter rapidly opened his eyes and his chest raised up and down every second.
"Oh god, it was a dream, thank god!" Peter scanned his environment. If his assumption was right, it was afternoon.
"No signs of civilization...weird. Where did he send me?" He was surrounded by countless trees and bushes. Animalistic sounds hit his ear. Although his Peter tingle didn't go off, he checked, if there was any danger luring in the trees. As he didn't sense anything perilous, he considered what his next move was going to be. His stomach began grumbling, furthermore, he was badly injured from the fight and fall. His wounds were going to heal fast though, so this wasn't an issue. First, he had to find out where a civilization was, then where he was.
It's not a great plan and he had no contingencies, but this will do for now. Due to the current situation, he decided to walk. Not tempted to waste any webs and only use them in an emergency. For safety reasons, he put his normal clothes over his suit. Maybe this world had another Spider-man in it, with a grumpy old man, who has it out for him. Peter sighed, this wasn't what he should be thinking about. His resentment for people like J. Jonah Jameson was hard to control.
The world hated him, because of Mysterio, yeah, but this guy took it to a whole nother level. And the people forgot what he sacrificed for them, what he had done for them. Maybe they didn't even need him, maybe they were better off without him. People will always find reasons to hate another, only one bad deed, albeit if he did the deed, is enough. It doesn't matter, if he had found a cure for cancer or saved orphan children from a burning house. People will eventually hate one another. However, this wasn't going to stop Peter, from bringing gleefulness and hope to this world.
He didn't do it for recognition, although it could have been a nice bonus, he did it to make the world a better place. With that in mind, he started to explore the new world.
It was getting dark, no light hit Peter's eyes. There were no lights or wires, everything technology-related was missing. No established infrastructure at all, only Mother Nature. Was human life existent in this place? He had to rely on instincts alone if something were to happen. Animalistic sounds still echoed through the forest and Peter's anxiety increased. With slightly more mindfulness he continued. On one hand, this might not be an idea, as he is pretty tired and worn out, and should rest. On the other hand, he is hungry and needs a place to rest. By more examination of this place, and his increasing anxiety reasoned, this location wouldn't be the most suitable. Peter clenched his fist,
"Seriously this is getting stupid. I have been walking for hours and hours, and still nothing."
Something wet dropped on his head, he lifted his hand and opened it, now his hand was wet, "Great, just GREAT! Now it's raining!" Peter took a tree branch and put it over his head, using it as an umbrella.
It wasn't perfect, but it prevented some raindrops from falling on his head. Then he stepped on a puddle and fell, his pants got wet, like when he was in kindergarten and pissed himself,
"Are you kidding me? No that's it-" A roar echoed on his right side. Oh shit! What was that? He never heard this sound before. Chill went down his spine, as he gazed at the direction, it was coming from and saw a pair of yellow eyes. Probably preyed on his next snack. His Peter tingle signaled him that this wasn't a drill. Peter and the unknown creature stared each other down. Peter was idle, not making any kind of sudden movement, he waited for the creature to act. He was at a disadvantage. It was obvious, the creature had night vision, Peter could tell.
Then the creature lunged forward, and Peter widened his eyes. Moonlight illuminated his form. He never saw a creature like that. It's body is as big as a horse, but its four legs were shaped like paws with claws. The appalling feature, however, was the face, razor-sharp teeth, an absurdly long tongue, and drooling on the floor,
"What the fuck is that? Peter evaded his bite by shooting a web on a tree trunk above him.
"Woah, there buddy! Easy now." the creature growled at Peter and jumped towards him. Quickly, he shot his webs at its eyes, blinding him. The creature missed Peter and fell. it tried to take the webs off his eyes, but failed since it couldn't reach his face with its limbs,
"Not so tough now without your night vision, huh?" Peter webbed him up. The yellow-eyes thing, as Peter liked to call him now, stuck to the ground,
"And now for the final part." He activated his taser-web and shot at the yellow-eyes thing. It screeched in agony as it fell limp on the ground.
Peter sighed, "That was easier than I assumed, hah! I thought you would put up a fight!" He turned his back, ready to go on.
His Peter tingle alarmed him, in the right moment, and barely dodged the slash. It cut a wound into Peter's arm,
"I had to open my mouth!" Peter covered his wound and gritted his teeth. He would have needed more power to knock this thing out or kill it. Yellow-eyes thing advanced towards Peter. It opened its mouth and sprung forward. Peter rolled under it. He attached his webs to two trees beside him. By stretching the two webs as far as he could, the momentum should suffice. Yellow-eyes thing stared back, ready to attack him again,
"That's right... come to Papi." It lunged forward, "NOW!" He let go of the webs and catapulted himself forward. It never saw Peter coming. Peter kicked it in the face, a crack halled upon contact, probably broke its Jaw. It fell down and not one single limb made any movement. Peter waited for a few minutes, to be sure the thing was at least knocked out,
"Finally! Man, that thing was durabl- ackk!" Blood spilled down his arm. He ripped a part of his pants and wrapped the fabric around his injured arm,
"It will hopefully heal until tomorrow."
If Peter had a mirror nearby, he would bet, he looked like shit right now. At least, MJ wasn't there to see it. Hungry, tired, worn out, bleeding... yeah it was going great. Taking into account, that he was a victim of an onslaught by an unknown animal, it wouldn't be wise to sleep here, who knew what else was out there? Sleeping out in the cold with rain wasn't a good idea either. His wisest decision was to keep going and find any kind of civilization, so he could rest. He kept going.
"An earth dragon!" Two guys said. In front of them was a large monster with two big arms with claws. The beast's face had two red antennas like a lobster. It reached the men in the wagon. Before, it was able to reach them one arm was cut off. A brown-haired teenage boy, with a sword and green eyes, landed behind the monster as well as the monster's arm,
"Class A danger beast, an Earth dragon, a worthy opponent!" the beast roared, striking at the boy with its other arm,
"Aww, don't be mad," he dodged the beast's attack, snuck above it, looking at its face, "I'll take care of you." Blood sprayed all over the ground, as the boy sliced him up in multiple sections. A big bump, caused the floor to vibrate when the Earthdragon fell. After that, he put his sword back into the scabbard.
"That was incredible kid!" The men came up to him, "Yeah, you took down a class A danger beast all by yourself." Tatsumi turned his head, with a crimson red face and a wide smile
"It was nothing!" another voice materialized, "Nah dude, that was so cool!"
The men and the boy turned their heads in the direction, "Where did you come from?" One one the older men asked.
"Oh, I was in the woods when I heard screaming, so I ran towards the source, but my help wasn't needed thanks to you!" His eyes directed at the swordsman.
"Ahh don't sweat it, the name's Tatsumi by the way. The whole captial is gonna know my name," he grinned and offered his hand, "Hello Tatsumi, nice to meet you. My name is Peter," they shook hands.
Tatsumi checked the boy, named Peter, out. His jaw dropped a bit and his eyes widened eyes, in disbelief. The clothes Peter wore were drenched, a part of his pants was ripped and bandaged around his arm. Dirty would be a word to describe his appearance.
"Oh my god, what happened to you?"
Peter put his hand behind his head and smiled, "Ohhh, yeah, I got lost in the woods and spent the entire night there, but luckily, I found you guys!"
Tatsumi nodded, "What about your arm?"
Peter loosened the improvised bandage, "It's fine, look there is nothing there anymore."
The older man turned his attention to Tatsumi, "You said, you want to go to the Imperial capital, Tatsumi?"
"Yeah, I wanna make it big in the army and seek a fortune! Why? Am I going in the wrong direction?" he raised an eyebrow.
"No, but look kid. The imperial capital isn't some perfect dreamland. Sure it's a big city, but it's been overrun by monsters, even more vicious than this Earthdragon."
"I don't get it, how can the city be full of Danger beasts?"
"Not those monsters. They are humans but with the hearts of monsters. Damn place is crawled with them." replied the other man with a sweat drop on his face.
"Hmm, weird. Did you hear anything about it, Peter?"
Peter blankly stared at Tatsumi, and blinked several times, "Oh s-sorry! A-ahm n-no man, I never heard anything about that!"
Tatsumi straightened his backpack and turned his back on them, " Well, it doesn't matter. There is no way I am going back! You see my friends and I have a mission, to make a fortune, in the army, and save our village." Tatsumi said with a burning passion and glowing aspirations in his eyes.
"Can I come with you, I don't have a place to stay, and maybe...I can find something in this capital or something," everyone raised an eyebrow at that sentence.
Tatsumi shrugged his shoulders, "Yeah, you can come if you want."
"Great!" Peter followed him.
"Good luck you two! And thanks again for saving us, Tatsumi!"
Peter walked alongside Tatsumi, headed to the so-called capital. His luck was finally existent again. This night was a complete nightmare. Hours and hours, in this goddamn forest, made him almost go crazy. Nevertheless, he eventually found people. His findings raised more questions though. Firstly, in what time was he? The two older men were riding on horses, and there were no streets. Tatsumi used a sword which wasn't a common weapon, in the modern era. Did Stephen transport him to the past? Impossible, even if it were the past, it wouldn't be his world. I mean there were monsters called "danger beasts." These didn't exist in his world. Also, he wasn't the best in history class... well he was actually really good, but not as good as in his science and math classes, but that's beside the point. Anyway, in history class they never mentioned something about, a so-called "empire" and it's "capital", so time travel is off the table.
"No, it has to be another universe..." Peter mumbled.
"What's that?" Tatsumi turned his head to him.
"Nothing!" Peter stiffened.
Tatsumi gave him a questioning look.
"Really man! I-I spaced out and mumbled something, I w-wasn't supposed to mumble!" he internally face palmed himself because it sounded like someone who wanted to hide a secret. Oh man... why did he had to be so awkward?
"Okaaaaay..." Tatsumi wrinkled his eyes, "Since, we are talking. I wanted to ask you something like, where are you from? For what it seems, you are not from the capital, and your clothes imply you are not where I am from. So..."
Peter's curses slipped through his lips. He had to ask the million-dollar question!
"Ah-hm, aa-hh... I-I a-am f-from... ahh..."
Peter had to think of something, anything would help,
"As you can see Tatsumi, I am not from here. I am from a tiny village far away, therefore... we have different clothes and such..." Peter hoped he would buy it.
"Oh okay, interesting... and where is it exactly?"
Goddamnit! Is this a fucking interrogation?
"I-I don't k-know, b-but it's definitely far away. Th-that I-I can assure you..."
"Okay, if you say so." Tatsumi shrugged his shoulders.
Peter exhaled. He bought it. That was close. Peter diverted the attention back to him,
"So what brings you to the capital? You said you wanted to make yourself a name there?"
"Yes, that's right! I am going to the military and climb up the ranks... also make a lot of money, hehehe!"
Peter questioned why he would go to the military, to get rich. Shouldn't someone get an education to get rich? Maybe, this universe is different in that aspect as well.
"But, why do aspire to get rich, you want to be rich, for the sake of being rich or...?" Peter tilted his head.
"No, not at all. You know, my village has to pay a ridiculous amount of taxes to the empire, and if it stays like that, we wouldn't be able to keep going. So, they trained three of us, my best friends, including me, to make a career in the military and earn some good money." Tatsumi furrowed his eyebrows.
Okay, that makes sense to Peter, but the taxation part alarmed him a bit.
"I don't want to be rude or anything, but where are they?"
Tatsumi clenched his fists. It didn't go unnoticed by Peter and his expression fell. Oh shit! Maybe he went a little too far.
"Ohh sorry, Tatsumi! I didn't me-"
"No, it's alright! My friends and I got lost, on the way. We were attacked by some stupid bandits, then we got split. I hope they are fine, though."
They walked in silence, after a few minutes, the capital came into view. Peter and Tatsumi were in awe. For a time not as advanced in technology, it sure was imposing. It was pretty cramped, with many houses right next to each other, but that isn't much different from New York. What was different, is the fact, that there were no skyscrapers at all. Yes, a few taller buildings here and there, but that's it. Undoubtedly, this city had to be bigger than New York. What was also eye-catching, the big building on the top, underneath it were big walls. Had to be some sort of palace. If this universe was like the medieval ages, then there would be the royal family or the king, who knows... Still, the infrastructure would cause difficulties, if he were to web swing.
"Wow! The capital is bigger than I thought!" said Tatsumi with a bright smile.
"Yeah, man! This place is huge!" Peter's mouth was wide open.
Tatsumi faced his body towards him, "I am going to the barracks and enlist myself, you accompany me until I arrive if you want."
Peter contemplated for a second, "Yeah, why not!" and they entered the city.
A vibrant scent already reached Peter's nose. Cafes, restaurants, and bars were all around him. His stomach grumbled like a monster, wishing he had some money on him. The street was bustling with people. Women shopping with their children who whine about something, they couldn't get.
Men playing with cards and drinking beer. Some things never change.
Some people shot him a glare. Why do they stare at me? Oh, that's why... as he looked at his clothes. He resembled a crazy homeless guy, if he saw himself in the mirror, he would think that too. When stepping closer to a child, the mothers pushed their children away. Damn! From an Avenger to a creepy homeless guy. How quickly things change.
However, what gave Peter the chills, were expressions on the people's faces. Although he's socially inept, something was off... he could tell. Not a single one was happy, New York was a playground compared to this, and that was impossible! But here he was.
"This place is amazing! So many people and places to go to!" the corner of Tatsumi's mouth turned upwards to a radiant smile.
"Yeah...right." a crooked smile on Peter's face. For Tatsumi, it had to be special. He lived his entire life in a village, this a a whole new experience for him. For Peter, it wasn't anything special, yeah this place was unique, but New York hardened him.
"There are the barracks! So this is where we part ways. It was fun talking to you, but I need to achieve my dream, and help my village!"
Peter nodded, "No worries man! I wish you the best of luck, but you will perhaps say that you don't need any luck..." Peter giggled, "In the next three months, I am going to see you on the front page of the newspaper, Tatsumi the new legendary swordsman!"
Both of them shared a laugh, "You are making me blush." Tatsumi scratched his cheek.
They said their goodbyes, Tatsumi stepped into the barrack and out of Peter's sight.
"So what now?" What Peter needed the most, was money. With money, he can buy food, new clothes, shelter, basically, everything he needs right now and what way to better do it than with a Job? Applying for a job is simple, look decent and presentable, say you have experience, even if you don't, and bamm! A job. Peter saw his reflection in a window nearby and sighed. It wasn't necessarily a good first impression if he were to look akin to a person who fought a mountain lion, even though that wasn't far off the truth. Nevertheless, he had to try.
A catering job should be fine, easy to get in, getting ta tip a few times and I should be good for the moment. Peter eyed out the nearest cafe shop. A perfect match! It had flowers around the shop and a comfortable place for outside. He strode inside the shop and asked the waitress, where the manager was. When Peter was right in front of him, his confidence shrank to a minimum. This man had to be eating children for breakfast. He took his cigar out of his mouth,
"What do you want, kid?"
Peter faced the ground, and barely whispered, "Hello, sir! M- My n-name is Peter. I w-wanted t-to ask, if-f I can work here."
"What kid? I can barely hear you!"
Peter spoke up, " I said, I wanted to work here, sir!"
The manager's eyes went up and down, "You? Sorry, junkies can't work here."
Peter's face went pale. He thinks I am a junkie!
"No, no, no sir! I know my outfit doesn't give the best impression, but if you wou-"
"Listen, kid! I don't have time for this. Today it's packed and I don't want to hear any of your bullshit. Get out of the way or I'll get Imperial police, and trust me, you don't want that!"
Peter widened his eyes and closed them again, while taking a deep breath, "Okay, so-sorry s-sir...
The manager left him. That was disastrous... anyway, he had to keep trying.
"Get out of here, you dirtbag!"
"Well, that went well."
Peter rubbed his butt and stood up. Seven or more restaurants, Peter lost count, had kicked him out. There never was a polite rejection, either "get out of here, before I call the Imperial police" or they did it themselves. The sky switched from bright blue to a red and yellow tone. Peter wanted to take a short break. However, spending the night outside again, wasn't anything, Peter was too keen about. Immersed in his thoughts, a man with armor bumped into him.
"Oh, sorry! I didn't s-"
The man in armor pushed him back, "Hey! Watch where you going, you low life!"
Peter opened his mouth and widened his eyes at the outburst, "Ahmm, s-sorr-"
"No! You will only speak to me when I say so, low life! Now, grovel before me and apologize."
Peter checked the surroundings and the people around him. They tensed up. Still having a shred of dignity, Peter attempted to object to his demands.
"I don't want to sound disrespectful sir, but-" the grumpy man slapped him.
"Do you know, who I am? I am in the Imperial Police force, no one messes around with me! If you don't apologize right now, I will lock you up for resisting!"
Dude. What. The. Fuck. He acts like I punched him in the face or kicked him in the balls. What's wrong with this douchebag? There were always rotten apples in the New York police, but they even didn't behave like this. Well, it wouldn't be smart to be in prison. Aunt May was always insistent, whatever he does, never end up in prison.
Peter tilted his head towards the ground and knelt before him, "I am sorry sir... I will not do it again..." Ahhh, my dignity!
The policeman raised his chin and a smirk played on his lips, "That's more like it! Now that you apologized, so sincerely, I shall let you off. Goodbye, low life!" The policeman got past him and chuckled.
"Yeah...fuck you, too," Peter said under his breath.
"What was that?" The man turned around.
"Nothing!"
He looked at Peter for some time and turned around again.
A bench luckily provided him with a seat. He sat down and exhaled. Unbeknownst to him, a busty blond-haired woman with revealing clothes, observed the entire exchange.
"Hey, handsome! Are you okay?"
Peter raised his head, "Yeah... I'm fine. Thanks for asking. It's just that... people are really grumpy here," and sighed.
The stranger put a consoling hand, on Peter's shoulder, "It's actually worse than that... What's your name, young man?"
Peter turned his head to her, and his face turned crimson red. What is she wearing, she is basically wearing a bikini. Oh, why? Oh, why, was this world full of freaks? And I always thought, I was the freak! He said soundlessly in his head. She was wearing a black top without... yeah, she wasn't wearing a bra. A belt around her waist, with a weird symbol in the middle, and... she didn't wear any pants, it was only black underwear. In addition, she wore brown boots.
"I-I a-amm ahhh... ahh..." Peter turned his face away from her, too mortified.
"Ohhh, are you fond of my body? How cute! Don't worry your big sister will take care of you,~" She said cheekily.
Peter's blush deepened, "My name is Peter."
"Okay Peter, my name is Leone, but you can call me Big sister if you want.~!"
"No, thank you. I'll stick to Leone."
Leone noticed a peculiar scent on him, with her enhanced smell, she was no stranger to a distinct scent, but Peter's was different. She had to find out more.
Leone pouted, "Hmmm, no fun! So Peter, right? You don't have to be a genius, to figure out, you are not doing well right now. So, how about I buy you a drink, and we eat together? Sounds great, right?" She wrapped her arm around his shoulders, feeling one of her boobs on his face.
"Please s-stop-p t-that!" He pushed her away. Leone took a step back, quite shocked how effortlessly, he pushed her away. He was stronger than he looked.
"Why should I trust you? Ever, since I have been in this city, I got treated like trash, why would you be different?"
"Look, I have no bad intentions. I just think you need some help right now, and I got so much money to spend, thanks to a generous source, hehe."
Peter pondered. A meal wouldn't be too bad, the last time he ate something was, when he stole the cube from Stephen. He needed to eat asap, or he was going to collapse. But what, if she was fooling him, what would be the risks? In fact, he was more than capable of protecting himself, and the women in front of him, didn't oppose a threat, since his Peter tingle hadn't shown any signs. She just wants to help me huuh. Peter recalled what Aunt May said, "That's what we do, Peter. We help people." He already missed her, so much...
"So, are you in or not?"
"Yes, I am in, what place do you have in mind?"
"Ahh, finally!"
Peter fervently drank his beverage, while eating his steak, like a maniac. He didn't eat or drink, for an entire day. Unmindful, if he looked like a hungry animal. They are seated on opposite sides.
"You really were hungry, after all!" Leone laughed.
"You have no Idea!" Peter gobbled down his drink, " Thank you so much, Leone! I was at wit's end. How can I ever repay you?"
A mischievous smile took over Leone's face, "Mmmhh since you asked so nicely. Why don't we go to a hotel, after eating, and have some little fun there?~"
"I...I...aahh..."
"Calm down, Peter, it was only a joke." She howled with a laugh, "The look on your face, man I wish I had a camera." She wiped a tear, from her eye away.
"Stop it with the teasing!" he growled.
"I can't, you are too cute!"
"Seriously though, do you want something in return?"
"No, it's alright. I had too much money that I couldn't spend on my own and I was nearby when your altercation happened."
"Amazing! You must be making a lot of money then. On top of that, you are a generous person. This combination doesn't often exist, Leone."
Leone pointed a finger towards her, "Me, generous? Oh thank you, Peter. I'm flattered kukuku." and giggled.
The only other person who had those traits was Mr. Stark. Yes, Mr. Stark hadn't had the most joyful demeanor, a little bit arrogant and eccentric. Nonetheless, he knew what was right and what isn't, his heart was in the right place... Peter couldn't have asked for a better mentor.
"But, can you answer me, where you reside? It doesn't seem like, you are familiar with this city, and your clothes indicate, you are some sort of a tribe member."
Peter wiped the edge of his mouth, with a napkin, "Your assumptions are right... I am not from here. My home is very far, from this city."
Leone was content, with the answer and didn't press on.
"Leone, since you have been living here, you should know more about the city, right?" Leone nodded, "Why is everything about this city, so miserable... I can feel it."
A shadow appeared on Leone's face, the voice almost became a whisper, "The capital is filled with corruption and rotten people. The guy you bumped into, is a higher-ranked officer in the Imperial police. He is renowned for messing with civilians. But he can be much worse..." Leone clenched her fists.
Peter's face grew distant, immersed in his thoughts. Okay, the two men who were attacked by this earth dragon, said there's something wrong in the city. The people look unhappy... no that's an understatement, dreadful would be a better word. The policeman, I bumped into was corrupt and there are many more, who are like this, apparently... In conclusion, the empire is badly influenced. I mean, yes It's horrible, but it can't be that bad right? New York always had a corruption problem. It's New York for crying out loud, not heaven. However, the problem wasn't deeply rooted. The police did their job every time. Perhaps this city is just like any other mildly corrupted city, in my universe. Their standards were a tad too high. Whatever, I am not a politician.
Peter furrowed his eyebrows, "If the situation is this dire, why wouldn't there be any uprising? The normal working class people are in the majority, they keep the country going, they hold the most power, they would have already done something or am I mistaken?"
"Let them eat cake." A famous quote in Peter's universe. The French Revolution was a great example of, don't make the majority in your country angry who are the reason for your wealth. This is how humans behave, if they had been pushed too far, and as far as Peter knew, the people in this world were not any different than in his.
Leone snorted with a one-sided smile, "What a thought-provoking question of you, Peter, hohoho I am impressed. To answer your question, yes this were to be the case if it wasn't for the huge gap in the power dynamics."
"What do you mean?"
"Let's put it this way, some people are scared, some people simply don't care enough, but most are willing to resist however, it's futile anyway. The Imperial army is not to be joked with, Peter. Not with it's Imperial arms and their generals. Especially this one general..."
Wait, what is she talking about? What are Imperial arms? Who's this general? The Thanos of this universe? God, I hope not.
Peter opened his mouth again, ready to ask another question, his Peter tingle gave a signal as, he was abruptly interrupted by, a man who entered the restaurant.
"Everybody stay calm! I have a gun, and I am not afraid to use it!"
Peter scanned the room and watched the man, approaching the cashier who was scared shitless. Everyone in the room silenced, a mother tried to calm her baby down and covered her, from any potential damage. A deafening silence took over, Peter looked over to Leone who was looking down, her eyes hidden by her hair.
Leone was in a predicament. On one hand, she wanted to stop the man, on the other hand, she didn't want to blow her cover. The risk is too great, there are spies scattered around the empire. Anything slightly suspicious, and she was in trouble. Her hands are tied here.
The cashier hastily put out all the money, out the drawer.
"Come on! Go faster, will you please!" He pointed his gun toward his head.
"I-I a-am s-sorry sir. Please have mercy."
Peter stood up, cracking his knuckles and neck, "Same shit, different universe..." Peter mumbled.
He pointed towards the robber, "I recommend you, to stop that mister."
Everyone in the room froze. They thought Peter had a death wish. The robber stared at Peter and held his gun shakily towards him.
"Stay where you are! O-or I-I'll shoot you!"
"Unfortunately mister, I can't do that. Stop what you are doing or I'll have to stop you. Your choice."
Leone's was mouth wide open, "Peter, I don't think that's a good idea. Just, let him go."
Peter turned his head to her and smiled, "Trust me Leone, I got this."
"If you say so..." She sighed and shook her head.
"Choice? I don't have a choice, you wouldn't understand!"
"What a load of bullshit! Everyone has a choice."
"No, not everyone! I have a family! I don't have a Job! My fucking Boss fiered me only, because I demanded a raise, although I already didn't make any money! It's not fair!"
Peter slowly approached him, "Yeah life isn't fair, but justifying the ends to the mean, isn't fair either. When life hits you hard, you stand above it, not be vengeful and throw a tantrum, because life wasn't fair to you."
Leone was impressed, by the sheer passion of the boy. At such a young age, he had grounded morals and beliefs, although Leone didn't necessarily agree with them.
"Don't come any closer! Do you think I'm afraid? I'll blow your head off, without a second thought!" He almost screamed.
"Oh, I know you will," Peter was standing right in front of him.
"Why do you have to make things difficult, kid? You are too young to understand, my struggles. Not everything is black and white! Not, everyone has a choice!"
"If you don't think, you have a choice, then I'll give you one. Choice one, you can go home right now and not be arrested. Go to your wife and kids, change your ways. Or, you won't get out of here, and I have to take you down by force."
Several mouths were agape at Peter's words, and they shifted their attention, to the robber. He slowly pushed the trigger and closed his eyes. A loud shot halled through the restaurant.
Many people gasped, except Leone. She was impressed by how fast Peter reacted. A slight smile appeared across her face,
Not, bad kid. We could always use someone like you, in Night Raid.
The robber opened his eyes. His gun was directed at the roof, a whole appeared, that wasn't there before. He shifted his gaze towards Peter and widened his eyes. Peter drew his gun, towards the roof. It must have been wicked fast. He didn't even feel Peter's hand on his. The gun flew across the room as Peter slapped it out of his hand. The man grew desperate. He took a swing with both of his hands, at Peter. Again and again, but effortlessly evaded all of them. Peter decided, he had a enough and caught his fist. He tightened his grip. The man buckled to his knees.
The police came shortly after arresting him. They thanked me for my so-called, "Daring and stupid act" some people... the restaurant owner was grateful, as a matter of fact he was willing to give a compensation, but Peter declined his offer. Much to Leone's surprise. Both of them were walking down, after the incident. It was getting darker, fewer people were on the street. Peter guessed this part of the city was infamous, for higher rates of crimes.
"I must say, Peter, I'm impressed. What you did, was heroic. Not, everyone would have the guts, to pull that off."
Peter blushed and put his hand behind his head, " Aww, thank you, Leone. I do what is right. At all times I will help people, no matter what."
"Yeah, but you could have taken the money though. The owner was insistent, yet you rejected his offer. It wasn't a small amount either. No offense, it seems like you need the money."
Peter laughed, "You are right about that!"
he stopped and contemplated what to say, "I don't do it for the money. I am just happy to help, it's my responsibility after all..."
Leone raised an eyebrow, What responsibility? Before she could have asked him more questions, Peter interjected,
"What are you gonna do next?"
"Let's go for a walk or you want to do something different?"
"No, it sounds great."
For the next hour, they got to know more about each other. They talked about their favorite food, drink, colour, and other trivial stuff. Peter noticed there was more to Leone, than the busty and perverted half-naked lady with a brother complex. Her teasing was annoying, but she was a kind person.
Time passed, eventually she had to go home. She asked Peter if he would be okay and Peter told her not to worry about him. They said their farewells and she was gone.
It was getting colder. A slight breeze caused Peter to shiver. He sat down in a nearby alley. He had nothing to warm himself up with. His teeth clacked against each other.
"I-I-I ne-need to sl-sleep." Not, having slept for two days was horrible enough, delaying sleep further, and he would transform into a zombie by tomorrow.
Peter's vision gradually became darker.
"Please somebody help me!"
Oh, you gotta be fricking kidding me! Every damn time. I swear this universe is against me.
Peter unlocked his eyes, looking at where the scream for help was coming from.
"You must be a Nobel! Come on, give me your money. I need it more than you!"
Peter watched the scene. A blond girl with a blue dress was backed up against the wall. A knife held against her throat.
"I don't have any money! Please stop!"
"Bullshit! That's all you nobles do! Pillaging the poor. Have your way with everything and still be above the law."
Peter wrinkled his eyes. Were the poor so heavily exploited? The wealthier part of the population always started off better than the average. They also got away with more, because of their status and connections. At least the poor were secured by law, well this universe was another case. Right or wrong, rich or poor, he had to help this girl and put his thoughts aside.
He sprung on the wall which faced the back of the thief. This was the ideal way to approach him, without getting noticed. Peter crawled alongside the wall until he was right behind him. The girl luckily didn't see him crawling, since the alley was pitch black. A karate chop sufficed, the thief dropped to the ground.
"Who's there?" The blonde asked, shocked the man collapsed on the floor, by nothing.
Peter sprung onto the floor and checked if she was ok, "Hello miss, I have no bad intentions. I saw you were in trouble and came over here. Are you alright?"
She had tears in her eyes and rushed over to him, wrapping her arms around him.
"Thank you! Thank you, so much!
Peter patted her head, "There, there."
She pulled back, and wiped her tears, "What's your name?"
"Peter ma'am."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Peter, my name is Aria."
"No, the pleasure is mine, Aria. What are you doing, alone in the night? This isn't the safest place."
"I got lost and this lowlife said, he could take me back, instead brought me to this alley... and you know the rest."
Peter gave her a reassuring smile, " Now you are safe, Aria. I'll take you back."
She gripped Peter's arms with both of her hands and led the way. They walked in unison for a while. A wagon came into view.
"Ah, there's my wagon!"
Two men with white outfits ran to us.
"My lady, we are so sorry! You were too quick, we couldn't catch up."
Aria snuggled her head in Peter's arms, "I am okay, thanks to Peter right here!"
The guards thanked Peter and Aria offered Peter to stay at her place. He gladly accepted her offer. He might have declined the money, but a nice place to rest wasn't something he would miss out on. Given the state of affairs.
They went inside and Aria sat down next to Peter, still holding his arm. She was incredibly clingy, but Peter didn't mind. Who wouldn't be clingy to the person who saved their life? He leaned back on his seat, trying to compose himself. What a day...
It wasn't the worst day in his life, no
... that place earned the day he fought Thanos, and turned into dust. However, it undoubtedly took the place, of one of the weirdest. A good ending was in sight though, he could sleep in a warm and cozy bed again. How refreshing... Peter sneered, his standards for expectations had dropped so low. Engrossed in his world, he didn't notice, when the wagon came to a hold.
"Are we really doing this again, my lady?"
"You know I can't help it. It's just the way I am."
She stepped out of the wagon, and Peter peeked his head out the door, to watch where she was going. A person was sitting on the floor. It must have been a homeless person.
"Excuse me, if you need some place to rest your head tonight, you are welcome to come home with me."
"Ahh thanks, but I am broke."
Wait, he recognized this voice. Is that Tatsumi?
"Well, if you weren't, you wouldn't be here. Would you?
The guards came up to him, "Lady Aria has a bit of a weakness, for helping those with nowhere to go."
Tatsumi eventually agreed and entered the wagon, stunned like Peter as their eyes met again.
"Peter! What the hell! What are you doing here? Let me guess, you had the same problem..."
"Well... yes and no," Peter explained what had occurred beforehand. Tatsumi was impressed, he didn't know Peter had it in him. After multiple minutes, they reached their destination.
Peter and Tatsumi were in awe. She had more money than the average person, Peter could tell. But damn!
"So you saved our little daughter from a maniac. We are so grateful Peter, if there is anything we can do for you, please let us know." A man with grey hair and a beard bowed down, showing his gratitude to Peter. Next to him, an older blond woman followed his action. Ahh... It must be nice to have parents.
"You don't need to thank me, that's what I do. I would very much appreciate, if I could take a shower and..." god this was so humiliating, "And get so-some new clo-clothes."
Aria's parents blinked, the old man coughed in his hands, after a couple of awkward seconds, "Yes, of course. Anything you want Peter."
Their servant showed me my room. His old room in New York was nothing compared to this. He had his own bathroom, a balcony and a king-sized bed. Holy shit! This room is awesome! He strode to the bathroom and took his clothes off. Before he went inside the shower though, he stared at the mirror right in front of him.
"I look like shit! Who could have thought!"
Despite the fact, that his wounds were all recovered, his face was still pale, his eye bags were almost taking over his entire face and his hair was a mess. But, Peter did see the positive side, the former prediction expected something much more dreadful. After a refreshing shower, clothes were laid behind the bathroom door. A brown coat, brown pants, brown leather boots, They like that color, huh? And a white T-shirt
Peter watched himself in the mirror, "Not gonna lie, I look good." Man, they know how to craft an outfit together. Even, his ass was well-rounded in this outfit, his was usually as flat as a jumping board. Peter guided himself to the balcony and relished the view. The capital in itself was magnificent, for a medieval time. It was way superior in technology than Peter's world was at that time. Lights illuminated all over the capital, reflected on his eyes, a breeze flew on his face and he took a deep breath.
"You can do this Peter. Liz's father? No problem, Thanos? No challenge. Mysterio a bit annoying, but no trouble. Multiple supervillains from another universe? Why so dramatic? A new universe... I can deal with this. No matter what hardships are facing me... I will always prevail."
This was the first time in the universe, he was able to rest and clear his mind. What are Ned and MJ doing right now? I think they got accepted... huuuuh what a shame. We could have had so much fun, at least they will have it.
Peter's back got rigid, he was too shocked to move, the eyelids gap extended every second. The Peter tingle...
This Peter tingle wasn't the same as others though, only once he sensed this kind of tingle. Dr. Osborn... a shiver ran through his spine, remembering the cruel consequences of saving him. Peter wasted no time, put on his suit, and investigated the area. His strategy was to make it from one side of the manor to the other while crawling. Guards surrounded the manor, so carefulness was his bread and butter. He was checking a window, when the guards started a conversation.
"You know where Aria is?"
"You know where she is. Hobbies are a wonderful thing."
"Oh no, not again... how is this a hobby? People being tor-"
"Shut up! We are not allowed to openly speak about this."
"Right..."
"I know... it's insane, the empire changed. if we act out, there won't be any positive outcome. Just shut up and everything else will fall into place.
"...You are right, the payment is the part which keeps me going."
Peter was clueless which hidden meaning their conversation possessed. What kind of hobby did Aria pursue? Was it this bad? To the point, they can't even talk about it. With a disappointed sigh, he kept looking, hoping to find what he was searching for.
Every inch, every corner, every angle was scrutinized, but Peter left with no evidence. He crawled on top of the roof and withdrew his mask. Although nothing was gained from his examination, this uneasiness was still luring within him. Sleep must be further delayed, unfortunately. This whole situation was a mess. Unknowing of the palpable danger, he snuck inside Tatsumi's room. Peter nudged his shoulder, keeping his voice low,
"Hey, Tatsumi! Tatsumi! Wake the fuck up!"
He groaned and rubbed his eyes. "What Peter? It's the middle of the night."
Peter's hands grabbed his shoulders, "Yeah, yeah yeah, I know. Listen! This place reeks of foulness!
Tatsumi wrinkled his eyes in confusion, "What are you talking about?"
"Trust me on this one, please Tatsumi. Let's put it this way, I have some kind of superior sense which means, any tangible danger would be detected by me. It sounds stupid, but you have to trust me."
Tatsumi watched his face for a while, his stare filled with confusion. He shrugged his shoulders, "Okay, I trust you. I'll keep my guard up."
Peter nodded and exited the room. Tomorrow will be a long day!
"We should go to that shop next!"
"Please, wait my lady!"
Presents stacked one after another on the wagon, almost creating a tower. It was a blessing though, Peter didn't have to carry all of that. She is the exact opposite of MJ. Consuming wasn't her cup of tea she bought not more than she needed, but then again, Aria was a wealthy girl and MJ wasn't. Their difference in personality was like day and night. MJ was the more reserved and cynical type, Aria, on the other hand, was more open and optimistic. Nevertheless, MJ's heart always was in the right place...
The shadow of the pile covered the face of Tatsumi, a sweatdrop on his forehead, "Woah, lady Aria is a pretty serious shopper. I mean, I have never seen so much stuff before."
The guard leaned back against the wagon, "The young lady does enjoy, but I assume all women behave this way, yes?"
"I don't know. I have this other female friend and she kinda wears whatever she has."
The guard raised his head, the view of the capital's palace met his eyes, "Oh, You see the castle over there, Peter and Tatsumi? That's the center of the entire Empire. It's where everything happens."
Both lifted their heads, to watch the building he pointed out. Tatsumi's mouth was agape, stunned by the sheer monstrosity of the architectural masterpiece.
"Wow! I always wanted to see, where the emperor lives and makes decisions for the whole country!"
"Well... not quite," he kneeled down to their height, "There is an emperor, but he's only a child, our land is plagued by corruption. It's the prime minister who controls the emperor from the shadows."
"The prime minis-" A hand rapidly covered Tatsumi's hand,
"Do not let yourself be heard, those who oppose are beheaded."
So, the reason why shit hit the fan in this country is, because the emperor was just a child. Royal families were focal for societies and the stability of a country, especially in the Dark Ages. But a child? What the hell! Even, if there's no one left, can't an older and wiser person take over the wheel, until the royal is ready? Even though, same cases applied in Peter's universe, there were also circumstances, where a normally illegitimate leader took over, for quite some time. The circle of a king was filled with power-hungry people, so Peter hoped the prime minister was the lesser evil, although it didn't sound like it.
"On top of that, we are dealing with this scum." The guard pointed to three posters, on each of them was a face with the note "Dead or alive" below it. One of them pictured a girl with long black hair, her name was Akame. Man, did her barbor die?
"Night raid?"
"A band of assassins terrorizing the area. As the name implies, they attack at night. High-rank officials and the upper class make up most of their targets. It's only wise to be very cautious."
A group of people killing for money was the sort Peter hated the most. No morals or virtue. To kill a person was the most vile crime, particularly for money. Even, If the victim was a malicious human being, to murder him or her is just as despicable. Hell, Peter refused to kill Dr. Osborn, although he was the reason Aunt May died. The last part of family Peter had.
Tatsumi and the guard carried on their conversation, while Peter was engrossed in thoughts.
Darkness took over the sky. The night proved to be challenging for Peter, his opponent: fatigue. His sense still alarmed him of a possible, but yet again he found nothing. If the danger wouldn't let itself be detected, it had to come to him. Therefore he waited in his room. I'm so tired, how long will this keep going? My Peter tingle never let me down, but what was I supposed to be careful about? The delightful little blond girl who helps people in need! Come on! Maybe the universe messed up his senses... maybe this is a false signal. Whatever the reason may be, I need a nap ASAP.
Peter slumped down in his chair, finally letting the darkness take over. His eyes shot open. Noises were coming from downstairs. No time was wasted. He put his mask on.
"Showtime!"
Peter snuck downstairs, his vision tainted in blood. The mother of Aria was cut in half. The person behind her, had a big scissor in her hands. A part of her dress was smeared in blood. She bowed apologetically.
"Sorry."
Well, that makes everything better! Slice a person in half, then apologize. The only right way to do it! If I could, I would be facepalming right now. Wait... she is not the only one, there are more. Fuck! I need to take off her, afterwards, I will go after them.
He shot his webs at her. She evaded them, going left and right. Peter sprung forward, aiming his fist at her face. The fist graced her cheek, just evading his punch. Peter rolled over and turned around.
"You are fast, mister..."
"Call me Spider-man."
Her index finger poked her chin, "Spider-man... what a funny name!" she giggled, "And your costume is ridiculous!"
Peter was baffled by her response, " Hey, my name is cool, not funny! And I made that myself, I am very proud of it!"
Her giggle halled through the room once more, "I am sorry, if I offended you, but it looks like it was made by children."
"Wait, really? Whatever, why did you kill her? What did she do to you?"
Her demeanor changed, "You should be asking her, what they did to them. Ah well, she is dead now." Her index finger tapped her chin and the pupils went up, like she was thinking about something.
This woman is such an airhead...
"What did she do to whom?"
"This family deliberately invites people from the land, who have nowhere to go, inside their home and poison them. They torture them to death. They deserve to die."
Peter looked to the ground. This is why, they have been so awfully generous. It all clicked to him. Still, he couldn't fully trust her, she was a murderer after all... Wait a minute. A group that only kills in nighttime, aiming for the upper class...
"You must be from Night Raid, right? As far as I know, you guys kill people for money. How is that any different?"
"Yes, we as Night Raid have never claimed to be better. We never saw the deed as something good, but it has to be done."
"See, that's where you are wrong, everyone has a choice."
"You don't know the full story... Spider-man."
"Even, if the family was as terrible as you said it was, you are a criminal. I have to take you down, nonetheless. It's my responsibility."
She took her fighting stance, bracing for what was to come, "We don't have to fight, you are not a target."
Peter ignored her words. He pushed himself off the wall which caused a bump. With one hand he fired a web at her. She dodged, but Peter closed the distance and was right above her. She swung her scissor upwards. Peter pulled his feet and made her miss her swing. He turned around and kicked with momentum at her. She blocked his kick with her weapon, the recoil of the impact, pushed her away.
"Your strength surprises me." She attacked him.
"I'm full of surprises, watch!"
She was in Peter's proximity. Peter conceded, her speed was not to be messed with. Still, not anything he can't handle. Her scissor swayed left and right. Peter dodged every move. It would be a wise choice, to stay a certain distance, for him. The scissor opened, ready to slice him in half. At that moment, he perfectly timed the jump and his feet were level with her head. He used her head as a catapult, to widen the distance. He landed behind her and pointed his web shooters at her feet. They reached their destination, she stuck on the floor. Now was Peter's chance!
He lunged forward and intended to knock her out. She swiftly cut the webs. In the last second, she blocked his fist, with her arm. She groaned and retreated, to compose herself and hissed. Unable to use her left arm, she continued to battle with one arm. I must knock her scissors out off her hand. This strategy should be working, her weakness is one-to-one hand combat.
She charged towards Peter, attempting one big swing to kill him. His web-shooters aimed at the scissor. Suprise on her face as the scissor was pulled out of her hands and thrown behind Peter. She was in his vicinity, so Peter caught her hand, pushing her entire body on the wall. He webbed her up from head to toe, unable to move a single inch.
She exhaled, "It seems like you got me."
"Yeah, seems like it. Don't even try to get out of the webs, it's futile. It will dissolve not until two hours."
"You are not going to kill me?"
Peter shook his head in disappointment, "Have you been listening to anything, I was saying? I don't kill, no matter how enticing it may be."
Her eyes glared at him as, if she was figuring out a puzzle. Peter shot a web at the ceiling, "I'm gonna look for the others and you will behave, understood? Oh and by the way, it's not a costume, it's a suit."
"Yeah, sure it is." she giggled.
Peter rolled his eyes and swung forward.
Man... why does no enemy ever take me seriously?
Looking out the window, Peter held his breath. Corpses of the long-gone guards were scattered all over the backyard. The realization of how merciless, Night Raid was, should have came sooner. A person left standing around this pool of blood. Peter assumed it was a he, because of his size. He devised a plan on how to approach him by surprise.
A web was attached to the ceiling and he ran up three times. He let go of the web and smashed the window to pieces. With immeasurable speed, the man in armor was taken by surprise and wasn't fast enough to react. Peter kicked his gut clean. The impact pushed him back.
"I gotta say, man, your armor looks awesome!"
He charged at Peter, throwing a left punch. His strike was blocked though, Peter held his fist, without any trouble. Unable to connect his blow, he tried to land a punch with his other arm, yet again Peter caught his fist.
"I don't think that was a good idea, buddy."
Gripping his hands tightly, he lifted himself off the floor and drop-kicked him. He flew back inside the abyss of trees. Although putting so much power into that kick, wasn't Peter's intention. He wanted to follow the tracks of smashed trees, but shots resounded behind his back. Perchance, some survived. He needed to save those who were still alive.
Not wanting to waste any time, he shot web after web on the trees and swung himself forward like Tarzan.
A howl reached his ears as he watched the situation unfold. Tatsumi was protecting Aria, from a girl with long black. Wait she is that girl on the poster and holy shit! Her hair is way longer than on the poster, how can she fight like this? It lookes cool though... concentrate Peter! People are killed and you are concerned about some girls hair! What was her name? I think it was Akana, no Akira, no, no... Akame that's it.
Akame sprung towards Tatsumi, doubting Tatsumi could react in time, he interjected. His webs flew to her back. Akame evaded his attempt, the web stuck on the ground. He pulled himself forward and landed in front of Tatsumi.
Tatsumi's eyes widened, "Who are you now?"
Akame gazed at the figure landing in front of her. Her face was devoid of any emotion.
"You are no target as well."
Peter wrinkled his eyes, "I'm Spider-man and I'm here to stop you. Akame of Night Raid."
Akame blinked a few times, "Spider-man... your name sounds childish and your costume isn't any better."
Peter placed his hand on his forehead, like the Star Trek meme and a sigh of desperation left his mouth, "It's not a costume! It's a suit for crying out loud!"
"For a suit, it looks ridiculous."
"Oh says the lady with hair longer than Rapunzel. Haaah! you didn't see that coming huh?"
She stared at Peter for quite a while and cocked her head, "Who is Rapunzel?"
Peter facepalmed himself. Right, they didn't know who Rapunzel was.
"Ahhh, just... forget it, was stupid anyway. That's beside the point look, I won't let you kill them and if you want it so bad, you have to go through me."
She pointed her sword at him, "Okay, no problem."
A sweatdrop was on top of Peter's head, Wow! It's like she is possessed by a demon who sucks every emotion out of her.
As both braced themselves, a woman with blond hair grabbed Akame's coat, Akame's head directed upwards to the new intruder, "What are you doing?" she asked with dull eyes.
"Stop Akame! We still have a bit of time left. I know these guys and I owe Tatsumi a favor!"
She was akin to a woman, he met today a busty lady who dressed skimpy. It's on the tip of Peter's tongue. Oh, he knew! It's-
Leone cracked her neck while searching for her teammate. Today's kill count was high, normally they wouldn't bring the whole team for a job, but when the mission was to kill everything in the manor, the whole team was necessary to kill them in a timely manner. After some time, she found what she was looking for. Akame was fighting against two other men. A man with a weird costume and behind him was a boy with brown hair and green eyes. Hold on. That's the boy she ripped off! Poor boy, these weren't his luckiest days.
A familiar scent flew in her nostrils. It was a distinctive one. The one she couldn't wrap her head around. Where did she smell that before? No way! It's that dorky kid, Peter. But why was he wearing that costume? And what is he doing here? Whatever the reason might be, she had to stop them from fighting.
Akame and Peter were about to battle, before it could happen though, Leone pulled Akame back.
Tatsumi saw red and pointed his idol that saved his life earlier at her, "Hey! You are that girl with the boobs!"
Leone waved her hand, "Yes that's what they call me."
Her eyes glazed over to Peter, " Hello Peter, what's up with the new outfit, going to a children's birthday party?"
Peter ignored her tease and cleared his throat, "I don't know what you are talking about ma'am. Who is this Peter, you are talking about?
The eyes of Leone rolled, her hands placed at her hips, "Cut the act, Peter! I'm familiar with your scent, see my teigu enhances all my senses, that also includes my smell."
The lenses of his mask widened. Conflicted about what to do next. Uneventful seconds passed, then his hand reached his neck, pulling his mask.
"Ah, there is that handsome face." Leone smiled.
"Peter! I didn't know you could fight, more importantly, why are you wearing that? Tatsumi asked bewildered.
Peter let an exasperated groan out, "Ever heard of, you know... protecting your secret identity? And Leone, you in Night raid? I knew there was something fishy about you!"
Akame crimson crimson-red eyes went back and forth, struggling to follow the conversation.
"Peter, Tatsumi why are you protecting this girl? She isn't the little and meek innocent girl, she claims to be. Let me show you what's behind that door, in the shed."
Leone kicked the doors open and Peter's view of this new universe came crashing down.
If Peter would have ever called a place hell, this would be it. Darkness consumed the shed. People were locked up in cages like animals, their bodies bruised and cut open. The stench was indescribable, Peter's dinner found it's way back, to his throat. Some of these people were still alive, they begged him to release them from their suffering. Peter was in a constant state of shock and disbelief, unable to move a muscle, standing like a statue. Evil in Peter's life was inevitable, he thought, he knew what humans were capable of, good and bad. This, however... no words were enough to describe the unfathomable cruelty. Even though Thanos, wiped out half the universe, he was a hero in his eyes. The intent to save the universe was desirable and noble, but his method was absolute lunacy.
Here, however, wasn't any respectworthy motive... torture people to death for the heck of it. Because it was fun. It all made sense to him. What the men meant when he was on his way to the capital. These sadistic humans, could he even call them humans? They are truly more vicious than those danger beasts. The expressions of pedestrians. How could corruption get this far? So what the purple-haired lady back in the manor said, was true after all...
"Sayo... no that's Sayo."
Peter watched Tatsumi approaching a girl. She was hanging from the ceiling, chains attached to her hands.
"Do you know who that girl is?" Leone leaned against a wall.
In the midst of all, Aria snuck away. Before Leone caught her, grabbing her head.
"Ooopsie! You didn't really think, we were through with you. Did you?"
"These people did this?"
Peter knew they were guilty. Guilty as someone possibly can be.
"Yes, and their guards are just as guilty, for keeping it hidden."
"She is lying! I had no idea anything like that was going on! Who would you believe? Th-these murderers or the one who saved you?" Aria shouted at Tatsumi, trying her hardest to persuade him.
A new voice resounded on the left, in a cell, a hand stretched out between the bars, "Tatsumi... is that... is it you? It's me."
Tatsumi's eyes widened, his chin was left hanging, "Ieyasu?"
"She invited us, to stay at her house. She gave us something to eat, then everything went black. We woke up here, then that girl... that girl tortured Sayo to death," Ieyasu dropped to his knees, sobbing.
Aria slapped Leone's hand away, "Fine! Fine! So I did it, okay! They are trash! Worthless filth! They are nothing, bu- but livestock to me! Garbage like her doesn't have the right to such beautiful hair! Mine is always giving me trouble, so I treated her extra special! She should be grateful that, I gave her so much attention! Ungrateful Pig!"
His knees fell to the ground, only Peter's hands prevented him from dropping down the floor completely. Peter wasn't able to comprehend this confession. How rotten and spoiled was this girl? Tortured a poor soul to death, because of jealousy... the worst of it, she didn't show any remorse at all. What... I can't...no.
Everything around Peter blurred, his mind shut down. Faster than he realized vomit was already making it's way, out his mouth. After his food disposed itself, he was able to compose himself.
His head turned where Tatsumi and Aria were supposed to be. The sword Tatsumi held in his hands, was tainted in blood. Blood which belonged to Aria, a straight and clean cut on the body. She was dead. Retribution, for his friends. Peter understood why he did it, but revenge was never a good solution or something to strive for, killing wasn't either. This was his decision to make, undeniably he was going down a dark path. Would he have stopped Tatsumi, if he noticed what happened? Peter was indecisive, sure it was the right thing to do, but he doubted, if he would have the strength to stop him. Tatsumi was in emotional anguish, this was a way to relieve himself from it. Later, he will find out this won't make things better.
"Thank you, Tatsumi. I needed to see that." Ieyasu spilled out blood.
"Ieyasu!" Tatsumi lay his friend on the floor, holding him in his arms.
"It's the lubola virus. The mother enjoyed poisoning people with different medicines. She even kept a diary detailing every victim's reaction. It's too late for him."
Can this night get even more fucked up?
"Tatsumi," Ieyasu's barely whispered.
"Ieyasu..."
"You should know, Sayo never did break. She never let herself give in. She was incredible. So I... I wanted to... to go out a hero," his arm stretched out, like he was trying to reach something, eventually his went limp.
"His sheer will was the only thing that kept him alive," Akame added.
Tatsumi held Ieyasu's dead body in his arms, tears in his eyes still dropping, "What's wrong with this place and it's people..."
Leone turned to Peter, "Do you understand, now? All those things you asked me in the restaurant, do you have your answers now?"
Peter stood up with shaky legs, "But... but to this scale, I never thought..."
Akame turned around, "Come on Leone! We should go."
Leone watched Peter and Tatsumi, and an Idea popped up in her head, "Hey, why don't take them with us?" Leone grabbed Tatsumi by the collar and dragged him through the ground.
"Wait, I need to bury my friends! Let me go!" his complaints fell on deaf ears.
Peter put his hands up, "Hold up! Ever asked me, if I wanted to?
Leone sighed, "Peter here are your options, either you come with us and make things easy for us or you fight all of Night Raid. We can't let you go, you saw our faces. Your choice."
"Oh, ever thought of the brilliant idea of wearing a goddamn mask!"
"No, our faces are too beautiful for that."
Oh my god... I can't with these people. I just can't. Well... I don't have a choice here. Do I? From an Avenger to hanging out with a bunch of murderers. What has my life become...
Peter's arms fell down to his sides, "Led the way."
"That's more like it."
"You are late! What took you so long and who are these guys?" A small girl with a pink dress and hair asked.
Leone carried Tatsumi in bridal style to the roof, where the rest of the Night Raid members were.
"They are our new recruits!"
Peter couldn't believe his ears, "Who said anything about that Leone? Are you nuts?"
"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you guys!" Leone let go of Tatsumi causing him to crash on the ground, "From today on you two are part of the team."
"Hey! Don't we have a say in this!" Tatsumi said.
"Yeah! I don't recall agreeing to this," Peter added.
Akame shook her head to both of them, "Just give up. Leone always gets her way."
Leone patted her head, "Look at that, my best friend knows how it works. He is all yours, Bulat."
The man in armor, Peter fought a few minutes before, and picked Tatsumi up, wrapping his arm around his body. He flailed with his arms, trying to get out of his hold.
"Guys, where is Sheele? She didn't return,"
a green-haired haired with goggles on top of his hand asked.
"Wait... you mean a girl with purple hair, glasses and a complete airhead?" Peter asked.
Night Raid shared a couple of glares, "That was a pretty accurate description. Yes, her," he answered.
Peter scratched his cheek, "Yeah... about that."