Chapter 14: A Spider in Shadows
The night air in Hell's Kitchen was thick with tension. Ark crouched on a rooftop, his suit blending into the shadows as easily as if he'd worn them since birth. He didn't need the system to tell him this part of town was a breeding ground for chaos—he could feel it in the pit of his stomach.
But this time, he was prepared in more ways than one.
The Stealth Master trait pulsed quietly within him, instincts guiding his every movement as he slipped across the rooftop, invisible to the eyes below. The random trait he'd received after the Shocker fight had proven far more useful than he'd imagined. His steps made no sound. His presence seemed to vanish into the night.
He spotted his target—a warehouse tucked deep into the district, its windows dark, its walls guarded by men armed with energy weapons.
Amateurs.
Ark's lips curled under his mask as he crept closer.
He moved like a phantom, bypassing the outer guards with ease. They never even noticed the brief shimmer of movement in the shadows as he slipped past them, already inside before they could react.
Inside, the warehouse was worse than expected.
Hostages—civilians bound and gagged—lined one side of the room, watched by an armored figure surrounded by flickering energy.
Ark's Spider-Sense tingled, but his Stealth Master trait kept him hidden. He studied the villain carefully. This one was no ordinary thug. His gauntlets crackled with unstable power, and the air around him vibrated with dangerous energy.
Ark's muscles tensed. He couldn't risk a prolonged fight with civilians trapped here.
Time for an entrance.
He fired a webline, swinging down from the rafters and slamming into the villain with a full-powered kick. The man grunted but didn't fall.
"Hey, pal," Ark quipped as he flipped backward to the ground, landing in a crouch. "You ever heard of conflict resolution? You should look into it."
The villain roared and unleashed a beam of energy. Ark's Spider-Sense flared, and he rolled aside just in time, the blast scorching a line across the floor.
"Whoa! Easy there, sparky!" Ark called out, weaving through the incoming attacks with fluid ease.
He darted forward, his Stealth Master instincts kicking in. He vanished from sight between attacks, moving in the blind spots of the enemy's perception. He struck fast, landing precise blows that disoriented the villain, though his armored suit absorbed most of the damage.
Still, Ark wasn't looking to knock him out in one punch. He needed to buy time—and save the hostages.
He fired webs to bind the villain's feet to the ground temporarily, then zipped across the room, cutting the ropes binding the civilians with quick flicks of his wrist.
"Go! Move!" Ark ordered, helping them toward the exit.
The villain roared again, breaking free from the webs and charging after them. Ark planted himself between the villain and the hostages, heart pounding but stance steady.
"Not happening," Ark muttered under his breath.
The villain lunged, swinging a gauntlet crackling with power. Ark sidestepped it, weaving into the man's guard and delivering a powerful strike to his exposed ribs. He followed up with a web shot to the villain's eyes, blinding him temporarily.
"Tip for next time," Ark said, his voice low and confident. "Don't let the guy with stealth powers get close."
He danced around the battlefield, luring the villain away from the civilians with taunts and quick attacks, every step amplified by the synergy between his Spider-Sense and Stealth Master traits. He was untouchable, a shadow flickering between moments.
The villain's strikes grew wild and desperate, his energy blasts detonating around them in unpredictable bursts.
But Ark was always one step ahead.
The civilians escaped safely, and Ark focused on ending the fight.
He waited for the perfect moment—then struck.
He weaved through the villain's defenses, unleashed a brutal combination of web strikes and punches, then launched him across the room with a powerful kick. The villain's suit sparked violently, the unstable energy core overloading.
Core Overload Imminent. Detonation in 30 Seconds.
Ark's eyes widened. He didn't hesitate.
He fired webs in rapid succession, yanking the villain's gauntlets off and disabling the worst of the energy surges. Then he grabbed the unconscious villain and hurled him through a broken window, sending him crashing into an empty alley outside—far from civilians.
The warehouse exploded behind him in a fiery blast, but Ark was already gone, swinging through the city with smooth, practiced ease.
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Later, perched on a rooftop overlooking the wreckage, Ark watched emergency crews swarm the area below. His body ached from the battle, but he felt that familiar surge of satisfaction.
The system chimed in.
[Mission Complete.]
Optional Objectives Completed.
Mission Rewards:
+1 Trait Token — Objective: Defeated Villain.
+1 Trait Token — Objective: Rescued All Civilians.
+1 Trait Token — Bonus: Completed All Mission Tasks.
Total Trait Tokens Earned: +3.
Current Trait Tokens: 8.
Ark let out a slow breath as the number flashed before him.
From five tokens to eight. His patience had paid off again.
The system interface opened automatically, displaying his current list of abilities.
[System Interface — Trait Overview]
Current Trait Tokens: 8
Available Traits:
Native Traits:
Spider-Sense (Passive)
Superhuman Strength (Passive)
Superhuman Speed (Passive)
Wall-Crawling (Passive)
Organic Webbing (Passive)
Copied Traits:
Superhuman Durability (Passive) (Copied from Tombstone)
Enhanced Reflexes (Passive) (Copied from Shocker)
Stealth Master (Passive) (Random Reward after Shocker Fight)
Enacted Tactical Mind (Passive) (Copied from Slade Wilson)
His eyes lingered on the fusion menu icon now glowing faintly at the edge of the interface.
He had enough tokens to unlock combinations that could push him even further beyond his limits.
But Ark didn't rush.
There would be time for that.
For now, he simply watched the city below, knowing the night wasn't over yet.
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To be continued
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