It has been a long while everyone, and I love that all of you are awaiting the return of the Spectacular-but-scaly Lizard Man to the site. Well worry no more for the next segment in this story is on its way! I have plans for Peter and his now topsy-turvy life as Lizard-Man and I am working on the issues as we speak, but to slake all of your excitement, I've decided to release the titles of the next 7 chapters/issue (I treat each chapter like a comic book), starting with the title of this Ark; Lizard Man: The Dark Hunt
Chapter 1: Adjusting to Scales
Chapter 2: The Thorn of the Rose
Chapter 3: Troubling Rage
Chapter 4: Kraven
Chapter 5: Skyscraper Court Yard
Chapter 6: Blood-Trail prt.1
Chapter 7: Blood-Trail prt.2
And as a bonus to all you faithful readers and newcomers, I have here a little prologue for this ark! So without further ado…
Lizard Man: The Dark Hunt
Issue #0: The Meeting of Man and Stone
AS Tombstone rose in the elevator to the view point of New York's tallest building, he slightly shivered at the memory of why he was having this meeting with this said "hunter". Not long ago, Stone was given an easy job: to delegate someone to hunt down a boy named Peter Parker and bring him the Oscorp for questioning and possibly testing. It wasn't anything complicated; get a savage thug. Make it look like a kidnapping for ransom. Done; but sadly things took a turn; for one, the boy just happened to not be home when the plan took place, causing the man he hired for the job to take alternate action that caused the Parker boy's uncle to die. To make things worse, the Parker boy ended up having powers. And now with his uncle dead, new info shows the boy has a vendetta. Powers and revenge are a deadly combo, especially when the powers are described as "savage" in nature from a man in a body cast. To make it worse, stone had been hearing for the past week that something of that very nature was coming after him, and one fairly chilling moment came to his mind just then.
Not long after the confession of the thug Kasady in his full body cast , Stone was hatching a plan to hunt the boy down if he truly was a monster. He had hatched this meeting he was going to attend that day, but the same evening he made that call, Tombstone was given a message from one of his henchman that he had been working a drug ring in Hell's Kitchen when he returned home. The Henchman, limping to Tombstone on the side of the road, had suffered fatal claw-like wounds to the face and chest and the others he ran the operation with were all in the hospital. The henchmen then said to Stone in his bloody and hysteric state "He told me to tell you… t-that…. These claw m-marks will cover your entire ..b-body." And then he passed out from loss of blood. Stone wanted more than anything to think this was just an empty threat, similar to many he has had in the past, but this still sent chills through his rock like skin; straight to the bone. He couldn't hide the fact that he was a little scared, even still today, but with every ding of the elevator he was in, fear seemed to trickle away from him. It was ding of relief, for the man he was going to see should be the answer to this problem.
With one final ding, the metal doors opened to reveal an empty room, with not a soul just as planned, but one man who was to the left of the elevator looking out at the city bellow. He was shorter then Tombstone at about 5'10, but his build was that of a pro-wrestler. He was wearing a black fur coat that went just past his waste. black pants could be seen in the gap of jacket to mud-caked combat boots whose tracks still imprinted the floor behind him, and a strange-colored smoke seem to be coming from his mouth. Tombstone could smell the aroma as he approached without a word, and it tingled his nose and eyes like he had stuck his face in a strong spice. A sneeze escaped him, and the hunter standing with his back still to Tombstone seemed to chuckle. "Your reaction is exactly how I felt when I first smelled the concoction, comrade" Says the hunter in a thick Russian accent. Tombstone, wiping his watering eyes and nose in embarrassment, was now standing next to the hunter who was turning to him, revealing the fur coat was the ONLY thing he was wearing on his upper body either then a few necklaces that jingled against his bare chest. The appearance of this man was rough and like and time revealing. The hunter had scars all over his bare, but hairy, chest and one prominent one upon his face over his left eye. His eyes were a deep brown, like the well-trimmed mustache and beard upon his face. The concoction he was smoking came from a cork pipe, pinned in between his teeth as he smiled at Tombstone. "This lovely herb I am indulging is a creation of my beloved wife Sasha." Said the hunter. "She is uh… how you say… Witch Doctor. This herb helps "me think like an animal", but as you can see it takes some getting use to." The hunter then takes out the pipe and offers it to Tombstone. "I think I'll pass" said Stone with still watering eyes. The hunter shrugs, sticking the pipe back his mouth and then sticking out his hand to Stone. "Serige Kravenoff. It is a pleasure to meet you Mr. Tombstone" He says. "The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Kravenoff. Did Osborn explain to you…."
"Yes he did" interjected Kravenoff. "And he also mentioned payment, but I do not wish to accept it"
T: "Then why are we meeting? I was here to give you the money…"
K: "True, but I was told you could tell me more about my target as well."
T: "Well I haven't exactly seen him…"
K: "This I know, but you saw what he is capable of from what he did to one of your men correct? I want to know what you saw and in detail, if you please."
T: "I don't know how THAT can help.."
Suddenly, Kraven hit the glass of the view with the force; his pipe fallen on the ground. "Did you not call me to hunt a creature?" He says in a dark voice with a minor hint of frustration.
T: "Yes of course, it's just I don't understand how what I've seen can help. Osborn told you, he's a boy…"
K: "I recall what Mister Osborn has told me, Mr. Stone, but that information means nothing to me. I chose this place to meet so I could see my hunting grounds, and I choose to ignore Mr. Osborn's info for I am not here to hunt a child. I am here to hunt a monster, but I can't just HUNT without knowing everything what I am HUNTING. Do you understand?"
Tombstone swallows hard, still holding back water from his eyes. He knows that, as much as he wishes not to relive the memory of that threat again, how could he not? He wanted the kid taken care of. So, with reluctance, he nodded. This brought Kraven back to his smiling self. He picked up his pipe once again, filling it with more of the mysterious from one of his pockets and lit it with a match. "Now then" He said with a smile. "From the top if you please comrade?"
To be continued….
Thanks again guys! Hope you enjoyed the prologue. I'm going to try and go with an every two week release, so plan to see chapter one out on 2/18/16! Until next time!