The Spider Queen

(Planet Calypso)

(Outer District- Nameless Back alley)

Run down shacks and narrow streets were the most prominent features of the outer district as most would view these homes as just temporary.

Pirates would still fight constant gang wars with one another to control these poor territories as the drug trade was particularly lucrative.

Numerous hidden alleyways and side paths snaked between these flimsy houses as shady figures moved silently.

A young teenager wearing a simple brown leather jacket and plain pants with small holes and tears was currently crouching down in pain as he hid behind a pile of garbage.

"It fucking hurts!" an agonising scream burst out of Luke's mouth as he frantically held his bleeding shoulder.

The wound was bleeding profusely with a purplish tinge due to the poison coated on the blade that pierced his body.

Luke had been running for hours through the streets of the outer district as the bounty hunters on his trail had somehow found his safe house.

"I wish I'd never picked up this stupid thing" Luke reached into his pocket and pulled out a small stone tablet with peculiar writing.

The stone tablet was blood red in colour with the words on its surface written in a language that Luke had not seen before.

Strangely enough the more he looked at the letters, the more he could feel his mind slipping into a relaxed state.

This was the mysterious treasure that he had stolen from Darius but who could have known that it would paint such a large target on his back.

Long John Daggers and several Blackguards were among the crowd chasing him and it was only a matter of time until they caught up.

Rip!

Luke tore off a piece of his jacket and frantically bandaged up his wound as he prepared to flee to the docks.

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The purplish poison on the wound was slowly sapping his energy away as the flesh around the hole started to rot and fester with pus.

There was only one chance of survival and that was if he could somehow find a ship at the docks and leave the planet immediately.

Luke groaned as he summoned up his last traces of energy.

He tried to get up but stumbled as his knees buckled and he fell to the ground with a dull thud.

It only got worse for the thief when the voices of his pursuers finally came within earshot.

His vision started to swim and blur, but he could still make out the familiar black striped uniform of the Blackguards and the man leading them.

"Behind that pile of garbage!"

"There he is!"

"Hand over the treasure or we will execute you on the spot."

Long John sighed in relief as he finally caught up to the target who had evaded capture for several hours.

Who knows how the information had leaked out but somehow it seemed that every lowlife in the slums had heard of the existence of a rare treasure.

Fortunately, the Blackguards sent by the captain's son to assist him in the chase provided a strong deterrent force to those seeking to fish in these troubled waters.

(Move)

(MOVE!)

(PLEASE JUST LET ME MOVE!)

Luke desperately crawled on the ground with his hands, but his injured body finally showed signs of shutting down.

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It was true that one's life would flash before their eyes at the moment of death as all Luke could see were his past memories.

From running away from home at the age of thirteen to joining a small-time gang of drug smugglers in the Alpha star system.

Memories of time spent with whores, drinks, and gambling.

And the haunting memory of the shock and disbelief in Darius' eyes when Luke plunged a dagger into his heart.

Luke chuckled darkly as he felt his life force slowly slipping away.

He would soon be seeing his ex- quartermaster in hell.

This was the last emotion he felt before everything went dark.

John had approached the teenager with an almost sadistic grin and fired a plasma shot right in the middle of his head.

The stone tablet rolled out of the hand of the corpse and John bent down to pick it up.

What he did not notice at the time was that some of the blood from Luke's dead body was being sucked into the tablet.

"Mission accomplished. Let's return to the young master and I will present this treasure to him personally," John gripped the tablet tightly and turned to face the Blackguard squad leader.

It would be hard for him to pocket the treasure for himself, but John was convinced that he could give the guards the slip once they returned to the inner district.

But how could his small movements escape the eyes of the experienced Blackguards.

Bang!

John froze in shock as a bullet hole appeared in his chest.

The spurting blood blossomed like a gorgeous crimson flower.

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"How… could…. you…." John managed to mutter a few words of disbelief before his body also dropped to the ground.

(Meanwhile)

"So… do we just cut off his head once they leave?" Cleo whispered as she peered through the binoculars.

"I guess," Sophie replied as her golden eyes narrowed sharply.

While Cleo needed a visual enhancement device, Sophie's night vision was good enough to even spot the loose strands of hair that fell on the shoulders of the Blackguards.

The two girls were currently perched on the rooftop of a nearby bar to quietly observe the situation in the small alleyway from a safe distance.

They were not the only party currently hidden in the dark but so far no one had made a move to target the Blackguards.

Clearing a bounty mission just required proof that the target was dead so they could still get the money if they brought in the body or took a picture.

What was bothering the duo was whether or not to attack the Blackguards and attempt to steal the treasure.

Sophie could not help but feel that the words on the stone tablet where vaguely familiar, but she could not remember where she had seen them before.

It would not be a lie to say that she was not tempted but it would be an extremely dangerous operation.

Attacking the Blackguards was tantamount to challenging the authority of Edward the merciless and those foolish enough to challenge his rule often ended up with fates worse than death.

Sophie's pondering was soon broken by a firm tap on the shoulder from Cleo who was now staring at a certain location.

"Look at those children over there," the princess exclaimed in surprise as she noticed something strange.

As the Blackguard squad leader approached the corpse of Long John to pick up the tablet, several tiny figures emerged from the shadows of the alleyway.

Their eyes were glowing eerily with an orange hue and Sophie could spot small tendrils of flesh erupting from their backs.

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