Although Alexander wanted to spend time with Silana and talk about her day, he couldn't stay with her for long. He was quick to get her home and into bed, and although Silana questioned him on why, she was satisfied by his answer of needing to help a friend. Given their family circumstances, Alexander did have to leave Silana by herself some nights while he had to work late night and he was fortunate enough to live in a good neighborhood in a house with a sturdy lock. He hoped that he was wrong about Falenas and Griffin having a plan for tonight and that he could return home before too much time passed.

It was after he left his home that Alexander realized that he hadn't considered how to catch up with Verik and Duke. He decided to start off simple by heading where he left them and was lucky enough that not only were the two in sight, but that they were following Falenas, who was walking in the opposite direction of his clinic. The elf had yet to notice that he was being followed as the sun continued to set with street lamps providing light. Alexander silently joined Verik and Duke, contemplating what Falenas was up to.

Alexander considered all of his companions to be good friends but was able to acknowledge their differences. Falenas was by far the smartest member of the group and he had an uncanny sense of insight which allowed him to provide his own observations on his tasks. Although the elf was pragmatic, he never crossed any lines simply because the choice to do so was sensible. Still, Alexander couldn't help but feel that he didn't know much about the alchemist. While the warrior knew much about Griffin, Viera, and Takota, Falenas didn't share many details about his life. All Alexander could recall about his past was that Falenas' brother overdosed on shiver provided by Gaedren, hence why he wanted to kill the aging crime lord.

If Falenas was up to something, it likely wasn't his idea but as part of one of Griffin's plans. Although the young noble wanted to do good, his methods of donning a disguise and fighting weren't what was expected from him. Alexander thought that he was a criminal during their first meeting, and although he knew better now, he figured that the law wouldn't stop him if he thought that there was something he had to do. A partnership between Griffin and Falenas would be powerful in its own right but at risk simply because it was just the two of them. Alexander tried his best to keep an eye out for Griffin while following Falenas, but if his companion left his home along with the alchemist, he remained unseen.

It was only when Falenas approached one of the bridges leading to Old Korvosa that Alexander had an idea of where the alchemist was coming to. He grabbed Verik by the arm and pulled him toward a street to the right.

"Huh?" Verik gasped.

"Quiet," Alexander whispered. "We'll take another bridge to Old Korvosa. I know where he's going so I'm hoping that maybe we can find him there from a different route."

"Is that so? Where is he off to then?"

"Eel's End," Alexander sighed. "And if that is the case, there's going to be trouble."

Verik accepted the explanation as the two and Duke crossed over another bridge into Old Korvosa. During their time working as Cressida's agents, Alexander, Falenas, and the rest of their party were sent to Eel's End to retrieve letters for black mail from Devargo Barvasi, a crime lord known as the King of Spiders. During the meeting, Alexander was forced to fight in a knife fight against one of his thugs for Devargo's entertainment. Although they were able to secure the letters, the criminal leader was never punished. Most of the group contemplated taking it into their own hands to bring him to justice as they did to Gaedren but never came around to it before they disbanded and went their separate ways.

If Falenas was heading to Eel's End, it was likely that he was going to bring down the King of Spiders one bomb at a time.

With Alexander leading the way, they arrived at a long pier with five ships docked, marked by lanterns shaped like spiders and eels. Four men were patrolling the piers, and from the corner of the street, Alexander was able to spot Falenas. The elf was eyeing the competition and taking time to drink some of his extracts with the warrior realizing that he was going to fight. He took out his flail and shield, ready to help his companion.

"I guess we're actually doing this," Verik said and took out his bow. "Here I thought you were done with this kind of excitement."

"This is just a one time exception," Alexander shook his head. "I'm going to go over and try to pull Falenas aside before he gets into too much trouble. If a fight does break out, cover us and we'll-"

Alexander was interrupted when he noticed Falenas shifting in place as one of his extractions took effect. The elf started to grow a few inches taller and his slim arms grew with muscles in an inhumane matter. By now, the enforcers on the pier spotted Falenas and looked on in horror at his transformation.

At that moment, Alexander recalled that when arresting the Cow Hammer Boys, two of them were beaten unconscious and the door to the butchery was thrown open. If that was what Falenas could do to people when he wanted them alive, he dreaded the thought of what the elf would do to those he wanted to kill.

"It's the man with the blue scarf!" Verik called out. "Indigo's here!"

Alexander was so focused on Falenas that he hadn't noticed Griffin, donning his disguise as Indigo, slip out of an alleyway with a rapier in hand. The enforcers advanced toward the elf and noble with the former taking out a bomb from his bag of holding.

"Cover them!" Alexander commanded. "Duke, with me!"

Alexander and Duke charged forward but the battle had already started with Falenas tossing a bomb at the enforcers. It shattered against the chest of the lead enforcer and the flames expanded outward, consuming all four men as they screamed in pain. Griffin ran forward and cut down the lead enforcer with his rapier cutting out his throat as the others threw themselves onto the ground and rolled in an attempt to put out the flames. Falenas created his bombs to not set their surroundings on fire so the wooden pier was thankfully spared. Still, Alexander felt the merciful thing to do would be to put the poor men out of their misery.

It seemed as though his companions reached a similar motion. Verik's arrow struck the chest of one enforcer and his thrashing ended. Falenas stepped forward with his dagger in hand, carefully stabbing another criminal thug in the chest in a way to not burn himself, and with a final scream, the man perished. Griffin tried to jab his rapier downward on the remaining thug but he was fortunate enough to roll off the pier and into the water. With the flames put out, the enforcer thought he was safe, but an arrow pierced his skull with ease. Alexander glanced over his shoulder at Verik, who shrugged in an apologetic gesture and ran forward to join the others.

The fight was over before Alexander and Duke could join. Stepping onto the pier after his adventuring companions, Alexander clanged his flail and shield together to get their attention. Both Griffin and Falenas turned to face him, and while the noble's eyes widened in shock, the elf remained stoic with his unnaturally hardened features.

"Alexander?" Griffin gasped. "What are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here? What are you two doing here?!"

"It's a long story," Griffin started to explain. "I made a deal with Falenas-"

"No time to waste," Falenas shook his head and turned back to the main ship, the one that shared the same name as the pier. "The extract of Fox's Cunning only has about three and a half minutes left. We press on."

"Falenas, wait!" Alexander called out to no effect.

The alchemist pressed on even with two more enforcers taking their positions to block the way on board the ship. Griffin sighed, took out a dagger that glinted with silver, and tossed it at one of the thugs. The blade struck true and embedded itself into one of the thug's shoulders who cried out in pain. Falenas calmly took out an explosive bomb and chucked it at the other enforcer. Once again, the fire spread across both men and they collapsed onto the ground, thrashing about with their final moments. Duke let out a bark at the corpses with Falenas carefully stepping over them to board the ship.

Verik caught up with Alexander and Griffin and looked on at the two new corpses. "You two move fast. I didn't even have time to shoot an arrow this time."

"We have practice," Griffin said and carefully knelt by the corpse with his dagger, staying back to avoid the flames. "Just one moment. I'd rather not burn myself harshly retrieving my weapon."

It was only after Griffin quickly pulled his dagger out with a grimace and sheathed his weapon that Alexander spoke up. "You need to explain now."

"To keep the story short, I'm helping Falenas test how Fox's Cunning interacts with his mutagen and assisting in his effort to end Devargo's shiver trade."

"By going on a killing spree?" Alexander said, gesturing towards the corpses.

"Mutagen?" Verik questioned. "What's that?"

"It's a special alchemical concoction that enhances Falenas' strength and fighting ability at the cost of some of his intelligence," Griffin explained quickly before addressing Alexander. "We didn't want you to come because we knew you would protest and for good reason. Still, Falenas did say he wanted to come back and deal with Devargo and I wasn't going to let him go alone."

Alexander sighed. "I'll save my complaints for after we're done fighting. Let's do this."

Griffin nodded back to Alexander and the group made their way after Falenas onto the ship. It didn't take them too long to follow the alchemist into the captain's cabin, which was marked. Within the cabin itself, Devargo remained in his throne with four of his enforcers forming a line of defense between their boss and the intruder. Hanging from the ceiling was a caged house drake that continued to try to break free. Given the quick work Falenas made of the previous defensive line and that he had another bomb clutched in his hand, Alexander thought that it was a foolish mistake on Devargo's part. However, Griffin called out a warning to his friend.

"Falenas, move!"

"Huh?" Falenas gasped.

It was only then that Alexander realized that the elf stood right on top of a trap door. Devargo, grinning madly, pressed a secret button on the side of his throne, and the trap door opened. Falaneas screamed briefly when he fell with the trap door closing behind him. Alexander heard the explosion of a bomb going off below decks and hoped that his friend didn't set himself on fire. The crime lord stood up from his throne, wielding a spiked gauntlet on each hand. Although the King of Spiders didn't play fair, there was no denying that he had a menacing look about him.

"It's good that my pets are fed," Devargo said with a grin. "Kill the others."

"Stay behind us, Verik," Alexander told the archer and held his shield. "We're outnumbered now so we need to play safe."

"There's no time to play it safe, Alexander," Griffin told his friend before advancing forward. "We have to save Falenas!"

Alexander resisted the immediate urge to call out Griffin's name if only to keep his identity a secret. He advanced towards one of the enforcers and jabbed his rapier at his face, cutting his eye out. The enforcer screamed yet it was while he was triumphant in his blow that Devargo made his move. Not content to leave his men to fight his battles, he joined the enforcer the masked vigilante attacked and struck out with his spiked gauntlets. Griffin gasped in pain as the spikes cut across his side, drawing blood.

Alexander wanted to join Griffin and fend off Devargo but the other enforcers moved forward, cutting him off from his friend. Even with Duke at his side, Alexander wasn't sure if he could fend off three men at once. Fortunately, an arrow struck one of the enforcers through his throat to end his life. Verik took up position in the corner of the cabin, relying on Alexander to keep him protected. The warrior glanced over and gave a thankful nod. Although they had their differences, Verik was starting to prove his worth by staying to fight rather than fleeing.

Alexander and Duke fought the two enforcers that stood between them and Griffin. Duke pounced at the enforcer to the right, biting desperately in an attempt to pierce his teeth through armor the criminal wore. Alexander held his ground against the remaining brute, blocking the club he wielded with his shield. The warrior pressed the advantage, striking the thug across the shoulder with his flail before following the attack up with a shield bash to his opponent's face.

Worried for his friend, Alexander glanced past his opponent to see how Griffin was holding back. Despite holding one hand on his bleeding side, the vigilante held his ground and his rapier broke through Devargo's defenses, striking him across the face. Unlike with the enforcer he still contended with, Griffin wasn't able to take out an eye, but the King of Spiders growled in pain. He struck out with both his gauntlets, and although Griffin blocked one, the other gauntlet stabbed itself into his shoulder and he screamed out painfully.

Alexander was forced to block another attack from his opponent with his shield before he realized that the thug Griffin first attacked circled around the noble, raising his club to strike the back of his head. Before he could call out a warning, an arrow pierced through the ambusher's back and he fell to the ground.

"Aim for Devargo!" Alexander ordered Verik and slammed his flail onto his opponent's knee, earning a gasp of pain from the man.

"He's using Indigo for cover! I can't get a clear shot on him!"

"Then help Duke!" Alexander called out and brought his shield forward only for the brute to lean away from the slam.

Although Griffin was brave for standing against Devargo alone, Alexander could tell that he was doing a lot worse than his opponent. The masked vigilante and his foe glared at each other before Griffin lunged forward. Although his rapier struck the King of Spiders in the shoulder to draw blood, the attack wasn't enough to stop him. Devargo took advantage of the opening and struck Griffin with both his gauntlets across his chest. The noble fell to the ground and didn't get up.

It was his worry for his friend that left Alexander vulnerable for his foe to land a glancing blow across his cheek. Tasting blood in his mouth, the warrior was overcome with rage. Without any warning, he slammed his flail downward on the thug's skull. The attack proved itself lethal with the enforcer's skull making a sickly crunch from the blow. Alexander stepped over his fallen foe, intending to bring Devargo down himself.

Devargo spotted Alexander, and not wanting to take his chances with a skilled warrior, grabbed Griffin by the head and lifted him up just enough to hold a spiked gauntlet toward his throat. "Not another step. He still lives. Surrender and I won't kill him."

Alexander could see the light movement in Griffin's chest to prove that he indeed lived, which was enough for the warrior. "Do as he says, Verik."

"Throw down your weapons and call off your mutt," Devargo said, grinning widely in his victory.

Alexander threw both his flail and shield on the ground and whistled for Duke to stand down from the enforcer the mastiff fought against. Verik silently placed his longbow down on the ground and took out his spear slowly to surrender it as well. Devargo gestured for his surviving enforcer to collect their defeated foe's weapons. Although unarmed, Alexander glared at Devargo.

"You haven't won yet," Alexander told Devargo firmly. "Viera and Takota will find us."

"They're not here though, are they?" Devargo chuckled. "I'll be ready for them when they take revenge. Tie all of them up together! Let's see who this really is."

"Don't!" Alexander called out in a futile gesture.

Devargo pulled down Griffin's scarf and his grin grew wider. "I remember his face. What a scandal it would be if the nobility learned that Griffin Vossler went on a killing spree."

"You mean to tell me that Griff has been Indigo all this time?" Verik questioned, not resisting the enforcer that started to tie him up with a coil of rope.

Alexander closed his eyes, realizing that he had been defeated. There were no sounds from below deck, meaning that Falenas was likely dead, killed and devoured by whatever kind of spiders Devargo kept below deck. Even if they could escape, Devargo knew Griffin's identity and could use it to blackmail and threaten him. Even though it wasn't the warrior's idea to challenge Eel's End, he still came along when he could have turned around or tried harder to call off the attack. The failure of Griffin and Falenas was also his failure as well.

The enforcer tied Griffin, Verik, and Duke together, and per the instructions of his boss, threw them on top of the crime door. Afterwards, the enforcer set their weapons down on a nearby table. For a moment, Devargo looked over the unconscious Griffin, and with a shrug, threw him toward the others as well, intending to feed the noble to his pets as well.

"Hold up!" Alexander cried out. "Don't kill Griffin! You can blackmail him!"

"What good is there to come from blackmailing him?" Devargo asked and took a seat upon his throne. "He isn't heir to his family's name and isn't particularly loved by the nobles of the city."

"Couldn't you ransom him?" Verik offered. "If you do, you might be able to get some extra cold."

Devargo shook his head. "If I let any of you live, you'll try to kill me again. It's nothing personal."

Alexander glared one last time at the despicable crime boss before he turned away. He thought briefly of those he was going to leave behind: Cressida, Takota, Viera, and of course, Silana. Although not as religious as Viera (it had been years since he had visited one of Erastil's shrines for any kind of ceremony), he prayed to any of the gods. If he was to be saved, he promised that he would hang up his flail and shield for good and focus on being a good father as he should have done ever since saving Silana from Gaedren's clutches.

"This is disappointing," a familiar voice said from the cabin's entrance. "And here I thought I was the one in trouble."

Everyone turned to the door to see Falenas. Although some of his armor had been torn and stained lightly with blood, the alchemist wasn't actively bleeding. Although his dagger was sheathed, he held onto one his bombs and his gaze fell upon a shocked Devargo.

"How are you still alive?!" Devargo asked in surprise. "Chittersnap should have killed you!"

"Was that what you called the ettercap?" Falenas asked in turn with a smirk. "If so, he's dead. I killed him."

"What?!" Devargo gasped, showing fear for the first time since the battle started.

"Don't worry," Falenas chuckled. "You won't miss him for long."

With that said, Falenas threw his bomb at Devargo, landing a direct hit. Alexander could feel the heat of the fire and was thankful that he and the others were out of the radius. Devargo screamed out in pain and stood up from his throne while on fire. Although the warrior was worried that the criminal would spend his last moments trying to kill his enemies, he only took two steps before he fell to his side and grew silent.

And so, the King of Spider's reign came to an end.

Falenas took a glance towards the surviving enforcer, who couldn't stop shaking in fear. With a shrug, the alchemist stepped forward to help his friends, and the thug ran for the open door and didn't look back. Alexander was silent in shock, still processing that Falenas not only survived the trap Devargo put him through but saved his life. The elf cut the rope holding his friends together before turning his attention to the unconscious Griffin.

"Did you even need our help?" Verik questioned and stood up.

"Having help is better than having no help," Falenas shrugged and took an extract out of his bag.

Verik extended a hand toward Alexander, who was still on the ground. Processing the events that occurred, the warrior recovered and grabbed the archer's hand to be helped up. Falenas knelt down and carefully had Griffin swallow the contents of the extract and his eyes snapped wide open.

"Where's Devargo?!" Griffin asked and grimaced in pain; the extract had only done enough to wake him up without healing all of his injuries.

"Burning in the corner," Falenas stood up. "The effects of Fox's Cunning will wear out within the minute so we need to get going before the mutagen starts to hinder my intelligence. Alexander, Verik, if you two would stop gawking, I suggest you grab as much treasure from this ship before it's too late."

"Too late?" Verik asked.

"On my way back to you, I encountered Devargo's cache of shiver and set it on fire," Falenas explained calmly. "I imagine that the fire will spread quickly. Now let's not waste any more time."

A/N: So, things came up over the weekend and it took me longer than I would have liked to get back to writing. Although I'm at 13,000 words (14,000 if I wanted to round up), I am behind schedule. Still, there's plenty of time left for me to hit my word count. I feel confident that I'm back to writing, especially with the next few chapters being shorter so work on Saturday shouldn't hinder me too much, so that'll be time spent catching up.

Until next time.