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“Any idea what we’ll encounter over there?” you asked. “That being said, how are me and my team supposed to GET there in the fist place?”

“Peter will let you inside.” she said, gesturing to Pan.

He just huffed at you indignantly.

“There’s but a couple of besties roaming ‘round the Neverland forest. We’ve got lions, tigers, bears…” Pan said, listing creatures off on his grubby little fingers.

“Oh my...” you interrupted.

Pan just kept talking. “Wolves, flamingoes, crocodiles…” he continued, just barely managing to suppress a shudder. “You watch out fer those crocodiles, ya hear? Especially the one that makes a ticking noise as it draws near. A right nasty one, that!”

Huh. Well what do you know? The Tick-Tock croc is real too.

“Oh! And mermaids. Ya can’t forget to tell him about the ‘mermaid incident’!” Pan said, cackling to himself as he pointed to Hill.

Hill’s perpetual frown deemed to deepen at that.

“There’s nothing to tell.” she said, far too eagerly.

“What’d she do?” you said, unable to resist the urge to pry. Hill shot you a sour look.

“She shot one of the mermaids! Nearly stabbed another, but I’d pulled ‘em apart before then.” Pan confirmed.

“No!” you said in a scandalized tone. “Isn’t that like 500 years of bad luck or something? I mean, it’s gotta be up there with ‘kicking baby unicorns’.”

“The bitch tried to drown me!” Hill snapped in a rare display of genuine emotion. “Besides, I didn’t kill her. It was a clean shot.”

“Ya shouldn’t have gotten so close!” Pan said, waggling a finger at her. “They splash you with water as a warning. If ya get any closer, then you’re liable to end up going for a midnight swim. You know, the sort that you don’t just walk away from.”

“I was just asking for directions.” Hill protested.

“You don’t speak their language like I do.” Pan countered. “Besides, my presence is the only one they’ll tolerate at their lakes, shores and coves.” he proudly declared.

“I can’t for the life of me understand why…” Hill muttered under her breath.

Pan chose to ignore that. His selective hearing was incredibly acute.

“They’re highly unsocial as a people. They hide from pretty much anyone and everyone, even the faeries.” he said.

“Everyone except you.” you confirmed.

“You’re darn right! We’re thick as thieves, me and them.”

“There also appear to be multiple factions at play on that island.” Hill cut in, regaining her composure. “There are the ‘Redskins’, a Native American tribe that appears to be on friendly terms with the Lost Boys.”

“Just like the stories...” you added.

(Cont.)

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“And let’s not forget the birds. You do NOT want to mess with those birds!” Pan urged you. “They’re sacred creatures!”

You just shrugged at him. You weren’t planning to pick a fight with random wildlife, unless they picked a fight with you first.

“And of course,” Hill continued. “We have the Neverland Pirates and their trusty Captain, James Hook.”

“Dastards, the lot of them!” Pan shouted. “You’d be better off running them through without a second thought!”

He then proceeded to whip out his dagger and stab at empty air. You took a few steps back, just in case.

“What’s the deal with you recruiting this little squirt? I hope he’s more impressive than he is in the movies.” you said to Hill.

The look she gave you was slightly sympathetic, but she didn’t sound amused in the slightest when she next spoke. “He might not look like much, Pan is a master with his weapons of choice and an excellent athlete. He can fight off an entire pirate crew by himself, kill a den of bears single handedly and he’s capable of flying at incredible speeds.” she said.

You looked back at Pan still stabbing at empty air and dancing around the room. You found it very hard to see this kid as a competent foe, but you’ve seen weirder.

“If you say so.” you said, sighing heavily. “Send me the details and I’ll get back to you later. I want to talk this over with my team first.”

Hill nodded, but made no motion to hand you anything remotely resembling a dossier or a case file. Instead, you felt your phone buzzing multiple times. You really needed a more secure phone at some point.

—---------

On the way back to your base, you had some time to think about Hill’s proposal. Sure, it had all the makings of an epic mission that would likely go down in history for being one of the most batshit insane things you’ve ever done. And it was(probably) for a good cause! Children’s lives could be at stake.

But at the same time, you weren’t sure if you could justify going anywhere with the city in its current state. Russian mobsters might still be after your brother, mercs and terrorists were running rampant through the streets, and Electro was still out there somewhere. Let’s not even mention the constant anxiety that the “Chameleon situation” was giving you every single day.

(Cont.)

What were you thinking?

>You could use the money. Especially after Silvermane postponed your payday.
>You’re far from charitable, but those kids need your help. And you have something of a soft spot for strays.
>You might just pawn this mission off on someone else that might be inclined to help.(Who?)
>As much as it pains you to turn down a job like this, you can’t leave the city right now.
>You don’t feel comfortable taking on a magical job without a magical crew member. Maybe Hill has an agent that you can rent out for the day?
>You’ll wait to hear what the others have to say before you make any concrete decisions.
>Write-in.

Pastebins:

Character Sheet:
https://pastebin.com/1ZihFYSV

Equipment and Gear:
https://pastebin.com/WAhveFAd

Contacts:
https://pastebin.com/WdcFXD2s

10 Commandments of the Desperados:
https://pastebin.com/Qpr2jVPE

Costumes:
https://pastebin.com/5Jie54X2

>>5302467
>>You’re far from charitable, but those kids need your help. And you have something of a soft spot for strays.
I'm sure it'll be fine, Cindy will take care of things. Actually, I kinda wanna bring her with us...

>>5302467
there are just too many unknowns. Especially on the logistics on how to get to and from Neverland and what the cell service there is like.
And even if we can be contacted in case of emergency and we are able to abort the mission at any time, I don't think this'd be the kind of muscle they should hire for a job like that.
>As much as it pains you to turn down a job like this, you can’t leave the city right now.

>>5302460
for all we talked about keeping them seperate we never actually voted on it. We even ignored the vote where we would tell Silvermane about wanting to keep them seperate.
We need to get separate costumes unrelated to either and then stage a grand scale fight between our two personas

>>5302467
>You’re far from charitable, but those kids need your help. And you have something of a soft spot for strays.
I think I know just the team
>Cindy (she deserves a light hearted magical adventure after all she's been through)
>Anastasia (Expert tracker, would probably appreciate a few rare trophies)
>Glass (He'll insist on coming anyways, and the mutant kids might react better if they see him with us)
As for Flint, Felicia, and Prowler...I think we can leave them to their own devices.
One thing I wanna do though is get them in contact with Julia and Madame Web so they can take some of those freelance hero jobs while we're away.
I'm sure they'd appreciate the extra pocket money.

>>5302467
>You’re far from charitable, but those kids need your help. And you have something of a soft spot for strays.
>You’ll wait to hear what the others have to say before you make any concrete decisions.
>>5302474
Personally, I find it to be way too much effort for too little benefit.
Might as well go for that thief with a heart of gold, that does crimes but helps every once in a while. It's a comic classic.

>>5302481
>Might as well go for that thief with a heart of gold, that does crimes but helps every once in a while. It's a comic classic.
Honestly, not a terrible idea.
We could totally cultivate a good reputation while still being a gun for hire sorta guy.

>>5302481
>>5302485
I don't mind either way, but we should commit to either or

>>5302503
I mean, Ben IS a thief with a conscious, so it seems only natural that our superhero persona would be somewhat morally ambiguous as well.

>>5302480
I like this, +1

>>5302522
I hope you realize I only put those roster picks up there for the sake of getting the idea out, it's not part of my actual vote.
We'll likely decide the roster when we actually get our team together for a meeting.

>>5302503
I'm going to commit dropping the whole two personnas bit.
I remembered that on top of all the ones listed last tbread, the people on the underground fighting ring also should know our identity as the huntsman, and so does Julia, Madame Web, Moon Knight and the Morb.
The only people that do know us a spdier-man is a couple of SHIELD guys and whoever watched that livestream.
So I'm going to vote to fuse the silver costume with the fur one and call ourselves the Huntsman.

>>5302472
>>5302474
>>5302481
>>5302485
>>5302480
>>5302522
>>You’re far from charitable, but those kids need your help. And you have something of a soft spot for strays.

Writing...

>>5302627
>The Daily Bugle has a fresh quote from the vigilante hero Huntsman
> "Fuck them kids lmao"

>>5302640
Jokes on Jameson, nobody reads the fucking news anymore.

>>5302648
He would make for a good podcaster though.

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While you’re far from charitable, those kids need your help. Just imagining someone like Condy being hunted by pirates, crocodiles and God knows what…you don’t even want to think about it. You’re starting to think that you’ve got something of a soft spot for strays.

—------

When it came time for the meeting to be held, you shared with them some of your feelings on the matter. As you expected, Glass wholeheartedly agreed, being the most ready out of anyone to dive headfirst into an unknown mystical realm. As much shit as you give to Xavier’s school, you had to respect the willingness to sacrifice life-and-limb for a cause that they believed in.

Prowler and Felicia just seemed to be struggling to wrap their heads around the matter.

“Pirates I can deal with.” she said, waving her hand dismissively. “But mark my words, Spider. I am NOT wrestling a crocodile for you”

Despite the seriousness of declaration, you still sensed more than a little amusement in her voice and expression.

“That’ll be a tough one for sure.” Prowler nodded. “Most of my darts won't even be able to penetrate the skin. Same goes for your bullets.”

“The best I can do is web them up so that they don’t follow or attack us.” you put in.

“I’m sure we can do better than that.” Glass cut in, reshaping his arm into a long, thin blade. His skeletal hand was still somewhat visible in the opaque material that had replaced his flesh.

“You’re a lifesaver, Glass.” you said, breathing a sigh of relief.

“Also, are we just going to gloss over the fact that Peter Pan and Neverland and all that are completely real?” Felicia added. “How many other fairy tales are actually real?”

Prowler shrugged. “Considering the world we live in, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was some truth to everything we’ve been told as kids.”

“Why do you guys think that Hill is so invested in this?” Flint asked, speaking up for the first time since the meeting started. “She has to be getting something out of this, right?”

“I’d bet it has something to do with that Neverland Pirate gold.” Felicia said, a wicked grin spreading across her face. “Think about it. Neverland is stuck in the past, so they probably still use metal coins for currency, or something similar. I’d bet money that S.H.I.E.L.D has got their eyes on Neverland for its uncontested resources.”

You rubbed your chin thoughtfully, unintentionally mirroring Flint. That would certainly make sense. Hill hires you because you don’t represent a greater power, and you grab the kids and dip back out, not wanting to spend more time there than absolutely necessary. Even if you stumbled across some buried treasure or something of the like, you can only carry so much back with you. Hill probably doesn’t have that problem.

(Cont.)

“I think I should stay behind, Benny.” Flint declared, interrupting your thoughts. “It sounds like there’s gonna be a lot of water over there, and I don’t do so well with getting wet. Now, if you need someone to keep your folks safe, I’m your man.”

What will you say?

>”I think I’ll take you up on that offer.”
>”I still need you as a heavy hitter, just in case we run into something unexpected.”
>”We might have to round out our team a bit more before we embark on this expedition.”(Make some roster changes.)
>”I might have to call in some favors for this one.”(Who?)
>”This mission suddenly just got a lot more expensive.”
>Write-in.

Pastebins:

Character Sheet:
https://pastebin.com/1ZihFYSV

Equipment and Gear:
https://pastebin.com/WAhveFAd

Contacts:
https://pastebin.com/WdcFXD2s

10 Commandments of the Desperados:
https://pastebin.com/Qpr2jVPE

Costumes:
https://pastebin.com/5Jie54X2

>>5302653
>”I think I’ll take you up on that offer.”
>I should probably contact Callisto about this, a bunch of kidnapped and lost mutant children should be right up her alley.

>>5302653
>>”I think I’ll take you up on that offer.”
>”I might have to call in some favors for this one.”(The Toomes)
Having a flier would have helped a LOT during the Slip mission, and Hill also kind of suggested it. Let's see if Starling is up for the spot, I don't trust Toomes.

>>5302655
+1

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>>5302651
I think he'd just start saying outrageously stupid shit to get hate clicks.
Meanwhile Huntsman would have a JRE style podcast that consistently ranks number one in viewership.
>"Anyways, that's why I don't fuck with magical creatures no more. You ever deal with anything like that Huntsman?"
>"Oh yeah, fucking Vampires man. Almost drained me and my nephew a couple times."
>"Christ."
>"Yeah man, it was wild. Arachne, can you pull up that video of that vampire chimp ripping a cop in half."
>"..."
>"Crazy...so, you ever done radioactive spider venom?"

>>5302653
>”I think I’ll take you up on that offer."
>"Anybody on this job who hasn't watched Peter Pan, please correct that as soon as possible."
>”We might have to round out our team a bit more before we embark on this expedition.”(Make some roster changes.)
>"I think I'll call Anastasia Kravinoff. We're probably gonna be running around in forests and swamps, so an expert tracker would do us a world of good."
>"I'm also gonna check with Cindy. I figure she'd be more than happy to come along, and she's probably bored as hell anyways."

>>5302655
This.

>>5302652
Who's Condy?

>>5302655
Support

>>5302672
Adding Anastasia because she would be a good fit, too. Can you imagine the phone call?
>Hey babe, wanna go kill a centuries-old legendary crocodile in a fairy tale dimension? Cool? Cool. I’ll pick you up Saturday at 8.

>>5302655
Ditto, also we should pick up some doubloons or something from Neverland
also, anyone ever read Peter and The Starcatchers? It's YA but pretty neat
>>5302661
Retired Huntsman doing a JRE podcast would be hilarious, just nothing but him shitposting at heroes and getting Swatted by Skrewball

>>5302697
>Ditto, also we should pick up some doubloons or something from Neverland
Naw, what we need to do is bring something to help us carry all our swag.
NEVERLAND LOOT LIST
>Captain Hook's hat
>Captain Hook's sword and scabbard
>Captain Hook's hook-hand
>Tick-Tock (preferably alive but dead works so long as we can get back in time)
>As many gold doubloons as we can carry

>>5302697
>Peter and The Starcatchers
I did. Entire series. Was interesting at points. I'm surprised anybody else knows about it, much less read it themselves.

>>5302697
I can see it now.
>"So I'm pretty sure Reed Richards doesn't fuck his wife."
>"Bro you kidding me? He's probably doing it from the other room man."
>"Naw see, if he can stretch anything he wants, and she's STILL hitting up Namor..."
>"Oh I see. Yeah no he's probably too busy making another bullshit ass doomsday device."
>"He's built like, what, ten in the last three years? Isn't he supposed to be a super hero?"
>"See, this is why I'm with Doom. Richards just ain't no good for the city."

>>5302675
She's your second adopted daughter! Don't you remember, anon?

>>5302697
>>5302719
I'll have to give it a read myself.

>>5302640
>>5302648
>>5302651
>>5302661
>>5302697
>>5302738
Having Ben run a talk show/podcast in his retirement genuinely sounds amazing. Currently wondering if anyone would be up for a "passing of the torch" if Ben ever retired. Although, that's entirely dependent on what you guys do and which ending you achieve.

>>5302655
>>5302660
>>5302672
>>5302676
>>5302697
Taking these. Writing...

>>5302757
If Benny ends up having a kid, I'd be more than willing to let them take up the mantle when it comes time to hang up the suit.

Oh man, reading through that last update is painful. That's what I get for rushing, I suppose.

>>5302738
Imagine if one day, Doctor Doom made a public appearance to New York City, but then he brought in big amps and music gear, and started singing the entirety of this album in a surprise villain concert. What would people think?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EtVJP0Dml4

>>5302779
>Doom gains massive amounts of clout in the US through the smashing success of his debut rap album
>Big time heroes pretend to hate it in public, but they listen to it on repeat in private
>Reed catches his son listening to his music

A dastardly scheme indeed!

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“I think I’ll take you up on that offer.” you said, clapping your friend on the shoulder, and releasing a plume of sand right into your face.

You coughed and waved it away with a hand, silently cursing yourself for forgetting not to do that without warning. Flint’s control over his particles and his reaction time could use a little work. You’d have to keep that in mind whenever you managed to pull together a training regimen.

“I should probably contact Callisto about this. A bunch of kidnapped mutant children should be right up her alley.” you said.

Glass nodded. “I’d definitely feel a lot better with her in our corner.”

“She looks halfway like a Neverland pirate already.” Felicia said with a smirk. “All she needs is the hook and the peg leg.”

You all shared a laugh at that. You even heard a rare chuckle from Prowler.

After that, the meeting was pretty much wrapping up for the day. Flint would be staying behind to look after the family, Felicia and Prowler will be modifying some of their gear to better suit Neverland’s terrain, and Glass would be…doing whatever Glass does when he isn’t here. You’re not entirely sure what his hobbies are.

You didn’t dwell on the thought for long, as you had to focus on composing a response to Hill’s job offer. It looks like you're going to Never Neverland.

What will you do in the meantime?

>Spend some time with someone. (Who?)
>Check Madame Web’s bounty board.
>Meet up with Callisto and explain the specifics of the Neverland job.
>Create some more gadgets with Prowler.
>Workshop some gear and gadget ideas with the others.
>Bug Toomes about the schematics for that power source until he sends it to you.
>Propose a new costume idea to Black Cat.
>Visit Phin’s shop.(Write-in.)
>Write-in.

Pastebins:

Character Sheet:
https://pastebin.com/1ZihFYSV

Equipment and Gear:
https://pastebin.com/WAhveFAd

Contacts:
https://pastebin.com/WdcFXD2s

10 Commandments of the Desperados:
https://pastebin.com/Qpr2jVPE

Costumes:
https://pastebin.com/5Jie54X2

>>5302789
>>Bug Toomes about the schematics for that power source until he sends it to you.

>>5302789
>Create some more gadgets with Prowler.
Web bombs, to replace the ones we spent performing spider bukkake on Typhoid Mary
>Bug Toomes about the schematics for that power source until he sends it to you.
We need that for Slip' to work on his stealth suit

>>5302789
>Meet up with Callisto and explain the specifics of the Neverland job.
>Bug Toomes about the schematics for that power source until he sends it to you.

>>5302789
>>Meet up with Callisto and explain the specifics of the Neverland job.
>Bug Toomes about the schematics for that power source until he sends it to you.
>Spend some time with someone. Cindy
see if we can finally get her a thing to be able to speak and spend some time with her

>>5302789
>Bug Toomes about the schematics for that power source until he sends it to you.
>Propose a new costume idea to Black Cat.
>A more temperature appropriate version of your classic Huntsman costume. A full-body spandex suit isn't exactly ideal for swamps and lagoons after all.
>Call up Anastasia and ask if she doesn't want to come along for the Neverland job. Make sure to mention there's a legendary crocodile involved.

>>5302939
Support

>>5302719
Yeah it was pretty neat, I liked how Tick Tock was one of those primeval bus sized Crocs too also Hummingbird Tink
>>5302939
Ditto

>podcast Huntsman getting various villains (although more usually Villainesses)
>Actually has a neat niche in getting former minions doing interviews about serving under villains

>>5302939
This.

>>5302939
Supporting and adding write in:
>Ask Cindy if she's up for a fairy tale adventure

>>5302939
>>5303007
>>5303046
>>5303074
>>5303076
Writing...

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Over the course of the next few hours, you proceeded to blow up Toomes’ phone, filling his inbox with countless voicemails and flooding his notification window with angry message after angry message. Eventually, he gave in to your constant pestering and sent you a rather large, detailed file on the substance that he’d created to power his suits.

You thanked him, and passed the file on to Prowler. He noted that the structure of the compound was admittedly complex, and it would take a while for him to figure it out. Maybe you can get Sam in on this to speed up the process.

>You’ve obtained the formula for Compound V!

—------

After that was done, you picked a quiet little corner to have a nice chat with Ana. And by “quiet little corner”, you meant your roof.

“Huntsman. What is it?” she answered in her usual stern tone.

“I got a new job and I was wondering if you’d be interested in tagging along. It seemed like it’d be right up your alley.”

“You wish to hunt something together?” she asked, a bit of excitement creeping into her voice.

“Well, some of the guys that we’ll be tracking down need to be taken in alive and unharmed, but I think everything else is free game.” you said in reply.

There was a long pause over the line before she spoke again. And when she did, it was straight and to the point.

“Explain.”

And you did. You explained the thing about Peter Pan, the mutant children, the pirates, and even the Tick Tock Croc. Anastasia didn’t say anything throughout the entire explanation.

Finally, when you were done, she made a somewhat derisive snort.

“Those are just fairytale myths.” she said. “What makes you so sure that the boy you saw wasn’t just that. A boy, playing pretend and telling made up stories.”

You almost said that the information came from a trusted source, but you weren’t entirely sure if that was the right word to describe your relationship with Hill. It was more of a…mutually beneficial agreement where both of you decided not to ruin each other’s lives.

“It wouldn’t be the weirdest thing to ever happen.” you finally said.

“Hm. I suppose not.” she admitted. “But if you truly believe that ‘Neverland’ is a real place…then I will need to make room for more trophies in the Kravinoff Estate.”

“Hell yeah! They’ve got giant crocks, wolves, flamingos, giant birds-”

“Mm. We will leave the birds alone.” Ana interrupted. “If the fairytales are to be believed, the birds provide a vital resource to the people of our realm.”

“Oh? What do they do?” you asked, becoming mildly intrigued.

“They are like…storks. They deliver children to men and women that cannot have children of their own.” she explained.

“Okay, there is no way that the stork exists too!” you protested. “I refuse to believe it!”

(Cont.)

“In your own words, ‘it would not be the weirdest thing to happen’.” Anastasia argued.

Why was the world you lived in so massively fucked up in every conceivable way? You were beginning to lose count of all the times that your perception of reality had been violently rearranged.

The conversation with Ana went on for a little while longer, before she said that she had to go. But not before promising that she would like to accompany you on your expedition into the unknown. You’d be lucky to have two expert trackers on your side in all this. And you’d be even luckier if you could find a moment alone with Ana. You’d love to be able to brag about having sex in Neverland!

—-------

Sometime later, you found Felicia pouring over the details of a job that she’d been planning. She refused to tell you what it was about, but judging from her mischievous grin, it was sure to be an interesting one.

After she’d cleared the table, you pitched her your idea for a new suit. You wanted something that was more temperature appropriate for the harsh jungle climate of Neverland. You had to assume that it’d be rather warm most of the time, and all that fur on your current Huntsman suit would only make you sweat. Not to mention all the suffocating spandex that’d be covering every inch of your flesh.

Felicia gave you a sympathetic nod and admitted that she’d been looking for a way to beat the what as well. You were almost sad to see the skintight, leather catsuit being retired to her closet, but all of you needed to be at the top of your game for this mission.

>Did you have anything in mind for the costume’s design?
(If so, post it in your reply!)

Oh actually, I just re-read that vote. If it's simply a redesigned version of the current Huntsman suit, then you don't have to reply, and I'll continue the update after I get some sleep. If you have any suggestions for alternative designs and functions however, feel free to post them!

>>5303145
>Inquire with Peter Pan about the climate of the island and then put some trust into Ana for a design

>>5303150
This

>>5303150
Support
Haven't been able to follow since around a week, quite happy Ana is back in the game

>>5303143
>>5303150 +1

https://youtu.be/CD-E-LDc384

Not a vote, but…
> You’d love to be able to brag about having sex in Neverland!
Yeah. No way THAT could possibly end up a strange and unfortunate rumor…

>>5303046
Dank Peter Pan shadow was cool, and the finale with the rocket launch battle was also very cool

>>5303150
>>5303163
>>5303191
>>5303193
Taking these too. Writing...

>>5303191
Glad to have you back, anon

>>5303266
Just bought the first book on audible. I'll give it a listen sometime later

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Over the next hour, you and Cat were brainstorming design changes to your classic costume. So far, you’d already removed the hood, scrapped the fur cloak and shortened the sleeves, leaving your bare arms exposed with a gap between your gloves.

It didn’t look bad at all, but you weren’t quite satisfied with it yet. At some point, you suggested the idea of asking Pan about Neverland’s climate. And when you paged Hill about it, you got a surprisingly fast response.

Apparently, Neverland’s climate varied greatly, but leaned towards the warmer side more often than not. Even then, the ocean breeze and the chilling winds of the Neverpeak Mountain and its surrounding ridges tended to be harsher than most people anticipated.

Felicia frowned when you relayed this information to her. This would make dressing for the occasion a little more complicated. So, you decided to call in a little more help.

—-------

It was approaching midnight when Anastasia had finally arrived at your place. Prowler had left long ago to try and figure out the secrets of the Vulture’s power source, Flint was fixing up the dents that you’d put into the Wallcrawler, and Felicia was up late planning her top secret mission.

All eyes turned to Ana as soon as she walked through the door. Black Cat gave her a curious look, and Flint got up from what he was doing, preparing for a fight if the situation called for it.

Ana’s sharp gaze passed over your companions and stopped when they’d locked onto you. She strode over to you without hesitation, ignoring the strange looks that everyone else was giving her.

“You said something about preparing hunting gear.” Ana said, phrasing it as a statement, rather than a question.

You nodded. “We need some advice on designing suits built for variable weather.” you replied.

Felicia slid her designs over to Ana, who snatched it up to examine it closely.

“Are you planning on using Polyester or Nylon?” she asked.

“Neither. Polyester isn’t nearly as breathable as most people make it out to be. I think Rayon would be the better selection here.” Felicia said.

Ana nodded approvingly. “Excellent choice. The cotton-spandex blend that the Huntsman wears would retain far too much moisture, and would ultimately end up suffocating his skin.”

Felicia raised an eyebrow at that and shot you a teasing glance. She was probably thinking of all sorts of reasons for why the huntress was so familiar with the fabric of your suit. And most of those assumptions would probably end up being right.

“You got a design in mind?” Felicia asked, that same easy-going smile raising the corners of her lips.

Ana gazed at the paper thoughtfully, before nodding. “I might.”

—------

(Cont.)

File: b731b0b45de158f174eaa12e7(...).jpg (147 KB, 736x1021)

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You, Felicia and Flint waited patiently for her to finish her drawing. You were completely fine with letting her take her time. Unfortunately, this opened up a golden opportunity for Cat to tease you about your nightly conquests and bedfellows. Flint even gave you a congratulatory pat on the back, despite the fact that you’d pointedly avoided going into any sort of explicit detail.

You breathed a sigh of relief once Ana was finally done with her drawing…and blinked several times. It was good! Like, really good!

The attention to detail and like-like depiction of you dressed in her proposed costume idea was honestly more than a little flattering. The breathable fabric was set to be dyed in a very dark shade of gray, with slashes of brown mixed in. But the most eye-catching feature was the long, dark cloak that was draped over the shoulders. It had a fake fur neckline with a fabric dyed so dark that it seemed to absorb all light around it. The billowing cloak went down well past your knees, and you were more than a little worried that it would get caught on something or drag against the jungle floor. Not to mention the fact that it’d hang over your face while you were crawling along walls and other surfaces.

However, Ana reassured you that the cloak was easily removable, and could be stowed away until you needed it later. It actually sort of reminded you of the cloak that she always wore.

Felicia whistled. “I’ve got to admit, Annie. You’ve got a good eye for fashion.”

Anastasia seemed to bristle at being called “Annie” but decided not to comment on it as she nodded. Felicia pretended not to notice.

“As do you.” she replied simply.

Feeling satisfied with her input, you thanked her for her assistance and complimented her on the quality of the drawing. She seemed to take great pride in that.

“Thank you. I have often practiced sketching various portraits of wild animals with my father. The key is to have patience, and to keep erasing to a minimum.” she said.

“I’ve tried drawing a few times, but it never comes out right.” Flint said, marveling at the concept art.

“Oh come on, Flint. You know I’ll always hang your art up on the fridge for everyone to see. You can even borrow some crayons from Cindy’s stash. I’m sure she won’t mind.” you said, earning you a punch on the shoulder that hurt more than you’d like to admit.

“As I said, patience is key. Do not let your frustration from a lack of immediate progress impede your efforts.” Anastasia said. “You will improve if you practice. Just keep practicing.”

Flint nodded and smiled slightly. You’d like it if your good buddy could pick up a new hobby or passion. It was something to keep his mind busy in the waking hours of the night.

—------

(Cont.)

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Some time later, Felicia and Ana had departed at almost the same time, getting into a heated discussion of the various applications of fabrics, weaves and meshes that you couldn’t quite keep up with. Flint picked a quiet corner of your base to practice drawing when he thought you weren’t looking, and you decided to let him keep believing that. The urge to embarrass him like he had with you was incredibly strong, though.

It was already well past midnight, but you still had one more trip to make that would end this impossibly long day on a good note. You headed out and swung towards the nearest sewer grate that you could find.

—--------

Coming down to visit the Morlocks on your own wasn’t nearly as creepy as it had been on the night that you encountered BugLizard Connors. The sounds of creaking pipes, dripping water, and the roar of cars rolling overhead had all just become background noise. Despite all that, your heart nearly jumped out of your fucking chest when you saw a human figure at the edge of your spider signal’s light, moving out of the way just fast enough to avoid being identified. The light splashing of water was the only evidence of you not having hallucinated the event. You turned the corner cautiously, finding Callisto waiting for you patiently halfway down the tunnel. With a wave of her hand, she urged you to hurry up, and you did.

—-----

Once she’d led you into the Morlock’s domain, the two of you sat down to discuss the Neverland mission. Callisto nodded along and listened without interrupting, even once. When you were finished explaining, she leaned back on her wooden crate and folded her arms.

“Mutant children lost in a magical realm, huh? That sounds like it’d be right up Charles’ alley.” she said. “They’re always traveling to different dimensions and shit.”

“So…you won’t help us?” you asked.

Callisto put up a hand to silence you. “I never said that.” she shot back. “I just said that I’m not normally invited to join those little field trips, and nor do I want to. But…I can’t in good conscience let some little tyke get eaten by a crocodile while I’m sitting on my ass down here.” she said with a sigh. “I’ll help you find those kids.”

What will you say?

>”Thanks. I’ll be sure to handle some of those ‘home improvement’ upgrades that we talked about when we get back.”
>”You’re just a big softy, aren’t you? That eyepatch, the punk look, and all those sharp knives you’ve got squirreled away are all just for show.”
>”I’ve got another expert tracker coming with us, so I think we’ve got a really good chance of finding them quickly.”
>"Are you sure you don't want me to pay you with actual money?"
>”I don't suppose you’d have another Morlock that might be willing to join us on our little expedition.”
>Write-in.

>>5303455
>”Thanks. I’ll be sure to handle some of those ‘home improvement’ upgrades that we talked about when we get back.”
>"I'm gonna let the kids decide where they wanna go, so you might need to start making arrangements for a few more regulars down here.

>>5303455
>>"Are you sure you don't want me to pay you with actual money?"

>>5303455
>"I'm gonna let the kids decide where they wanna go, so you might need to start making arrangements for a few more regulars down here.
>"Are you sure you don't want me to pay you with actual money?"

>>5303455
Thanks. I’ll be sure to handle some of those ‘home improvement’ upgrades that we talked about when we get back.”
>”You’re just a big softy, aren’t you? That eyepatch, the punk look, and all those sharp knives you’ve got squirreled away are all just for show.”
>”I’ve got another expert tracker coming with us, so I think we’ve got a really good chance of finding them quickly.”
>"Are you sure you don't want me to pay you with actual money?"
>”I don't suppose you’d have another Morlock that might be willing to join us on our little expedition.”

File: E55F6693-2597-4BA8-920A-3(...).jpg (370 KB, 2048x857)

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So, what’s the consensus on feeding Hook to Tick-Tock?
Also, Spotbros, we won

>>5303455
>”Thanks. I’ll be sure to handle some of those ‘home improvement’ upgrades that we talked about when we get back.”
>”You’re just a big softy, aren’t you? That eyepatch, the punk look, and all those sharp knives you’ve got squirreled away are all just for show.”
>”I’ve got another expert tracker coming with us, so I think we’ve got a really good chance of finding them quickly.”

>>5303455
>”Thanks. I’ll be sure to handle some of those ‘home improvement’ upgrades that we talked about when we get back.”
>”I’ve got another expert tracker coming with us, so I think we’ve got a really good chance of finding them quickly.”
>”You’re just a big softy, aren’t you? That eyepatch, the punk look, and all those sharp knives you’ve got squirreled away are all just for show.”
>But I'm not one to talk, given that I'm been doing the same thing

>>5303502
After we steal all his valuables, I couldn't care less what happens to the guy.

>>5303509
Steal the spots right off him!

>>5303693
Captain Hook, Anon.

Who and where was spot mentioned?

>>5303458
>>5303466
>>5303475
>>5303487
>>5303505
>>5303506
>”You’re just a big softy, aren’t you? That eyepatch, the punk look, and all those sharp knives you’ve got squirreled away are all just for show.”
>”Thanks. I’ll be sure to handle some of those ‘home improvement’ upgrades that we talked about when we get back.”
>"Are you sure you don't want me to pay you with actual money?"
>”I’ve got another expert tracker coming with us, so I think we’ve got a really good chance of finding them quickly.”

Taking these. Writing...

>>5303502
That looks fantastic! Super excited for this movie

Apologies for the fat delay, folks. Been writing the update on and off, but I'm going through some things. Gonna post as soon as I'm available again.

>>5304104
Get some rest Chief

>>5304104
Dear SpiderQM,
I hope everything is going ok for you.
Can't do much as I'm an anon on a wallpainter image board, but you still have all my support

>>5304104
I'm going to bake a cake today in support of you!

>>5304104
Take a day off brother, no use forcing yourself when you're spent

>>5304104
Time for sleep, QM. IRL always takes precedence.

File: Callisto_ 28Earth-616 29_(...).jpg (43 KB, 250x306)

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“You’re just a big softy, aren’t you? That eyepatch, the punk look, and all those sharp knives that you’ve got squirreled away are just for show.” you teasingly said.

To your surprise, Callisto returned your smile, but it was far more mischievous than your own had been. “Look who’s talking! You adopt any new teenagers lately?”

“I guess I walked right into that one.” you admitted. “Thanks for agreeing to help, by the way. I’ll be sure to handle some of the ‘home improvement’ upgrades that we talked about when we get back.”

Callisto nodded. “Good. Things are getting pretty rough up there, so I’ve got more and more homeless passing through seeking shelter.”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to pay you with actual money?” you asked.

Callisto just shrugged. “Not like I’m gonna do much with it.”

“What have you been doing with the money that I gave you that one time?”

“I just give a little bit to homeless kids that don’t have anywhere to go. Not everyone wants to be a part of a community or a shelter, you know?” she said.

Suddenly, you began to realize that your joke of Callisto being a big softy didn’t seem like such a stretch. You might have to think about giving her more money for the homeless people that pass through.

The conversation eventually drifted back to the specifics of the mission, and you found that you were able to ignore the stares of some of the more spiteful and socially inept Morlocks.

“I’ve got another expert tracker coming with us, so I think we’ve got a really good chance of finding them quickly.” you said.

She raised an eyebrow at that. “Is this a new hire that I haven’t met yet? I have to meet everyone on your payroll, remember?”

“She’s more like a specialist that I called in for a favor. She’s an expert huntress, or something.” you said.

Callisto gave you an odd look and leaned forward on her crate. “You keep strange company, Huntsman.”

“Don’t I know it.” you said, taking a moment to look around at the Morlocks milling about and pretending not to notice you. If Callisto took offense to that statement, she didn’t show it.

—--------

Feeling satisfied with yourself, you headed back up to the surface and ran through a mental checklist. Both Anastasia and Callisto were on board. Individually, they were supposedly great hunters. Together, they just might make this mission seem like a cakewalk.

Absently, you thought about inviting Cindy as well. You remembered that she was also a fairly decent hunter and tracker, but that wasn’t why you thought of her. It had been a while since the two spent any meaningful amount of time together. With the Silvermane job and the whole thing with your brother going on, you’ve both been busy with your own stuff these past few days.

(Cont.)

File: 71dd31915e5814e68b4eb1a93(...).jpg (149 KB, 769x1209)

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A trip to Neverland might just serve as a nice distraction from her problems. Sure, it was dangerous, but you were fairly certain at this point that she was a far better fighter than you were. She could take care of herself, even if you and the others weren’t there to protect her. But even then, you didn’t like the idea of bringing her to a mystical island that was infamous for its ever-growing(and shrinking) population of kidnapped children. And you’d be even less comfortable letting her get anywhere near Pan. You were pretty sure he’d be coming along with you to guide you to Neverland.

As you entertained the thought of pummeling a fairytale creature, your phone started buzzing in your pocket. The Morlock tunnels aren’t so useful for their cell reception.

When you went to check your notifications, you found yourself feeling confused, threatened and intrigued.

The first was from Matt. He wanted to meet with you to talk about something tomorrow. According to him, it was important. The two of you haven’t been doing much talking since that night at the Midnight Mission. Things have been a bit awkward, and you really aren’t sure how to broach the subject. Maybe now you’d finally have your chance.

The second message…was definitely the more ominous of the two.

It was from Tombstone. Apparently, he wanted to discuss the details of a new job that he wanted to offer to you. You haven’t seen the guy ever since you botched his Vulture job. Toomes got away, and Silvermane lived to see another day. Both of which he probably attributes to being your fault. And he’d be absolutely right to think so.

This was almost certainly a trap…but you couldn’t help but feel curious about what he was trying to accomplish here. If he truly wanted to kill you, then he and his men would be rather hard pressed to fight their way through both Flint and Glass. As scary as he was, you severely doubted that he’d come out on top if it came to a war between the two of you.

And if he really did want to hire you…then what the hell could be so urgent that he’d come to you about it?

How will you respond to these messages?

Matt:
>You’ll head on over in the morning. You’ve been meaning to catch up with Matt anyway.
>Try to throw him off by asking if you can meet him now. If he’s trying to pull one over on you, then you won’t give him time to prepare.
>You might have to skip out on this one. There's a possibility that Matt’s finally decided to put you behind bars for being a murderer.
>Write-in.

Tombstone:
>Of course you’re not going! This is obviously a trap!
>You’ll go, but you’re bringing as much backup as you can possibly spare.
>You’ll go to meet him, and you’ll go alone. You’re not afraid of Tombstone anymore.
>Write-in.

Character Sheet:
https://pastebin.com/1ZihFYSV

Equipment and Gear:
https://pastebin.com/WAhveFAd

Contacts:
https://pastebin.com/WdcFXD2s

10 Commandments of the Desperados:
https://pastebin.com/Qpr2jVPE

Costumes:
https://pastebin.com/5Jie54X2

>>5304107
>>5304115
>>5304117
>>5304180
>>5304237
Thanks for the support, guys! There was some family drama that I had to deal with, and I was feeling thoroughly exhausted afterwards. If I ever need to take a short break between updates, I'll let you all know beforehand.

>>5304644
>You’ll head on over in the morning. You’ve been meaning to catch up with Matt anyway.
>You’ll go, but you’re bringing as much backup as you can possibly spare.

>>5304644
>You’ll head on over in the morning. You’ve been meaning to catch up with Matt anyway.
>>You’ll go to meet him, and you’ll go alone. You’re not afraid of Tombstone anymore.

>>5304644
>You’ll head on over in the morning. You’ve been meaning to catch up with Matt anyway.
>You’ll go, but you’re bringing as much backup as you can possibly spare.

>>5304647
No worries. Hope everyone is OK and so are you!
>>5304667
Support

>>5304644
Matt:
>You’ll head on over in the morning. You’ve been meaning to catch up with Matt anyway.
Tombstone:
Don't care not voting

File: 171-1715233_pocahontas-pr(...).png (1.15 MB, 860x1139)

1.15 MB PNG

>>5304653
Ditto
>>5304647
>inb4 Tiger Lily is quite the looker
>and she thinks Ben is quite the looker too, by dint of being the only man that smells of soap while not being related to her or a pirate

>>5304644
>Try to throw him off by asking if you can meet him now. If he’s trying to pull one over on you, then you won’t give him time to prepare.
>You’ll go to meet him, and you’ll go alone. You’re not afraid of Tombstone anymore.

>>5304644
>Try to throw him off by asking if you can meet him now. If he’s trying to pull one over on you, then you won’t give him time to prepare.
>You’ll go to meet him, and you’ll go alone. You’re not afraid of Tombstone anymore.

>>5304644
>Try to throw him off by asking if you can meet him now. If he’s trying to pull one over on you, then you won’t give him time to prepare.
>You’ll go, but you’re bringing as much backup as you can possibly spare.

>>5304644
Matt
>You’ll head on over in the morning. You’ve been meaning to catch up with Matt anyway.
Tombstone:
>You'll go and have Glass clearly visible next to you while Flint hides nearby

>>5304644
>>You’ll head on over in the morning. You’ve been meaning to catch up with Matt anyway.
>You’ll go to meet him, and you’ll go alone. You’re not afraid of Tombstone anymore.

>>5304653
>>5304667
>>5304668
>>5304725
>>5304949
>>5304673
>>5304942
>>5305212
>>5305447
>>5305477
>>5305811
Matt:
>You’ll head on over in the morning. You’ve been meaning to catch up with Matt anyway.

Tombstone:
>You’ll go to meet him, and you’ll go alone. You’re not afraid of Tombstone anymore.

Taking these. Will start writing after I finish eating.

File: eff.jpg (110 KB, 1200x1132)

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The following morning, you found yourself procrastinating as you waited for your suit to air dry. You’d given it that thorough washing that it desperately needed, and as a result, the amount of sleep you achieved was less than ideal. Oh, well. At least you could sneak in a nap between your meeting with Matt, and your meeting with Tombstone.

That’s right. Against your better judgment, you decided to meet up with the big albino cheese. Alone.

You had a lot of time to think about it while you were scrubbing sweat out of your suit. You were gonna have to acquire a specialized washing machine for the sole purpose of cleaning your suits. Or maybe you’d just buy a Cleaners’ shop and use it as a cover for money laundering. Decisions, decisions…

Anywho, you didn’t hate your odds if it came down to you mixing it up with Tombstone. Sure, he was big, and he had a lot of guns on his side, but when has that ever stopped you? You escaped the Vulture’s trap at your old hideout and got away with all of your bits intact. Hell, you beat Typhoid fucking Mary!

Even if you couldn’t beat him and his goons in a straight up fight, running was always an option. And you’ve always been good at that.

Ironically you were far more nervous about meeting Matt than you were about meeting one of the most ruthless gangsters in New York. IN the past, you never truly car4ed wha6t other people thought about you. It was easy enough to try and convince yourself that your parent’s clear contempt for your lifestyle didn’t bug you at all, but you weren’t about to get into that.

Over the years, Flint was one of the only ones that you could reliably call a true friend. In your line of work, trust was a luxury that all the paychecks in the world just couldn’t afford you. You had friends and contacts that you were on good terms with, but very few of them were within your circle of trust. You’d been considering revealing your face to Felicia and Prowler. Mostly because you were getting tired of wearing it around your warehouse. These days, it felt like you saw that mask more than you saw your own face.

You’d once considered letting Matt and Angela in on your secret. But if you were being terribly honest, that would get messy real fast.

You shook your head and pulled your costume on. It’d dried enough for you to wear it comfortably. It should air dry on your way to the meet-up. Might as well stop worrying about trivial nonsense and get this over with.

—---------

By the time you’d arrived at the location that Matt designated in his text, your costume had more or less dried to a point where you barely paid attention to the few damp spots that were left on your back. The fur took the longest to dry and required the most maintenance.

(Cont.)

File: daredevil2022001_cov.jpg (736 KB, 1375x2088)

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You paned your gaze around the neighborhood at large, your elevated position giving you a superior vantage point for doing so. You didn’t doubt that Matt probably patrolled this area fairly often. It looked like the kind of place where drug deals and shoot-outs happened more than they should.

“Benny.” said a familiar voice from the shadows. You turned to see Matt in full-costume, walking towards you with an unreadable expression on his face. “We need to talk.”

Before you could get a word in, however, Matt just rolled right over you.

“This city’s been an absolute wreck ever since that gang war broke out. I know you’re acquainted with Silvermane, and I know his men were involved in this dispute.” Matt continued, his voice giving nothing away. “I want to know what they’re all after, and what’s going to happen next.”

What will you say?

>”Silvermane hired me and my crew to snatch Richard’s suit for him. But now it's in the hands of an ambitious engineer.”
>”I never meant for all of this to happen. It all started as a simple job, and now it's getting out of hand.”
>”You won’t have to worry about Silvermane for a while, I think. This war has hurt him way more than either of us expected it to.”
>”What are you planning to do?”
>”Before I get into that…I wanted to make sure that you and I are cool. We haven’t really had a chance to talk since…you know.”
>Write-in.

Pastebins:

Character Sheet:
https://pastebin.com/1ZihFYSV

Equipment and Gear:
https://pastebin.com/WAhveFAd

Contacts:
https://pastebin.com/WdcFXD2s

10 Commandments of the Desperados:
https://pastebin.com/Qpr2jVPE

Costumes:
https://pastebin.com/5Jie54X2

>>5305911
IN the past, you never truly car4ed wha6t other people thought about you. It was easy enough to try and convince yourself that your parent’s clear contempt for your lifestyle didn’t bug you at all, but you weren’t about to get into that.

>>5305912
You won’t have to worry about Silvermane for a while, I think. This war has hurt him way more than either of us expected it to.”
>”What are you planning to do?”
>”Before I get into that…I wanted to make sure that you and I are cool. We haven’t really had a chance to talk since…you know.”

>>5305914
Oof! Gonna be honest. I'm not sure what happened there. Gonna have to proofread these more often

>>5305912
>”You won’t have to worry about Silvermane for a while, I think. This war has hurt him way more than either of us expected it to.”
>”Silvermane hired me and my crew to snatch Richard’s suit for him. But now it's in the hands of an ambitious engineer.”
>”What are you planning to do?”

>>5305917
Doesn't bother me. I just know some QMs are anal about that stuff if they upload it to archive.

>>5305919
It's a feelsbad for sure, but I think my ego can stand to take the hit. Deleting it now would make voting a bit more messy, since anons might start deleting votes to respond to the proper post

>>5305921
K I won't point it out. Also was wondering if you have a draft of your ideas for the quest? I remember you said stuff about venom and carnage. Stuff is going to get crazy

>>5305912
>”Silvermane hired me and my crew to snatch Richard’s suit for him. But now it's in the hands of an ambitious engineer.”
>”I never meant for all of this to happen. It all started as a simple job, and now it's getting out of hand.”
>”Before I get into that…I wanted to make sure that you and I are cool. We haven’t really had a chance to talk since…you know.”

>>5305912
>”Silvermane hired me and my crew to snatch Richard’s suit for him. But now it's in the hands of an ambitious engineer.”
>”I never meant for all of this to happen. It all started as a simple job, and now it's getting out of hand.”
>"And Matt, ever since what happened that day, I've been trying to be better. I've even set up some rules for my group and been helping people. Thanks for giving me a chance"

>>5305912
>”Silvermane hired me and my crew to snatch Richard’s suit for him. But now it's in the hands of an ambitious engineer.”
>”I never meant for all of this to happen. It all started as a simple job, and now it's getting out of hand.”
>”You won’t have to worry about Silvermane for a while, I think. This war has hurt him way more than either of us expected it to.”

>>5305912
>”Silvermane hired me and my crew to snatch Richard’s suit for him. But now it's in the hands of an ambitious engineer.”
>I tried my best to stop the chaos this was causing. I managed to save the man trapped in the suit.
>"And Matt, ever since what happened that day, I've been trying to be better. I've even set up some rules for my group and been helping people. Thanks for giving me a chance"

>>5305912
>"First, trivia pop quiz: how did I beat your little protege, and why did it work?"
Last thing we need is the Chameleon getting a lead on the suit and handing it off to the Russians. I’m not particularly picky about the rest of the vote, though I do recommend we take it easy on spilling the extent of our involvement. Just tell him everyone wants the suit, Silvermane is no longer in the running, and that the fighting will probably continue until it’s either destroyed or permanently bonded.

>>5305912
>>”You won’t have to worry about Silvermane for a while, I think. This war has hurt him way more than either of us expected it to.”
>>”What are you planning to do?”
>>”Before I get into that…I wanted to make sure that you and I are cool. We haven’t really had a chance to talk since…you know.”

>>5305923
I have a rough outline of events that WILL happen, and events that very likely COULD happen based on your decisions. Certain interesting events and interactions have been missed due to some of the decisions you've made already. Some good, some bad. A vote that gives you a clear advantage in one aspect might lead to you missing something interesting and potentially beneficial down the road, such as progression in a character's story, or obtaining a useful tool or piece of information. I will almost certainly never tell you when this happens, but it's lead to some pretty interesting twists and turns in the story. Even I don't know how things are gonna shake out sometimes.

There are a lot of things that I have planned, but Peter is too young for some of them to happen without making things weird, so I'm mostly messing around and doing prep work for future events right now.

The outline I'm going by is more like a tree or list of events that need to take place before I can start skipping months, or even years. Another thing that I'll have to figure out is how the lives of the heroes and villains around you will change over the years. Like, legacy characters will probably be 100% more relevant as time goes by, and I want to show the impact that age and the current state of affairs in this setting have had on Ben and the supporting cast.

Venom and Carnage showing up is something that I'd like to happen later, when a few more things are established in this setting. It'll be an entire event, and I'm very much looking forward to what's going to come from their introduction to the story.

>>5306035
Awesome. Loving the story and characters. When I get some cash I need to find some artists to do some commissions for our costumes

>>5305916
>>5305918
>>5305926
>>5305932
>>5305953
>>5305984
>>5306032
>”You won’t have to worry about Silvermane for a while, I think. This war has hurt him way more than either of us expected it to.”
>”Silvermane hired me and my crew to snatch Richard’s suit for him. But now it's in the hands of an ambitious engineer.”
>”I never meant for all of this to happen. It all started as a simple job, and now it's getting out of hand.”
>”What are you planning to do?”
Combining:
>”Before I get into that…I wanted to make sure that you and I are cool. We haven’t really had a chance to talk since…you know.”
and
>"And Matt, ever since what happened that day, I've been trying to be better. I've even set up some rules for my group and been helping people. Thanks for giving me a chance"

The sentiment is incredibly similar, so I hope you guys don't mind.

>>5306043
Glad to hear it. Be sure to post them here if you do! I deeply appreciate it when anons post art for my quest. I love to see my players being that invested in the story and characters. I need to find some artists to commission for a few pieces that I have in mind. I had two in mind, with the poses all planned out and everything. One for Ben and Cindy, and another with the entire Desperado roster. There was also one for Black Cat and Cindy that I'm still thinking about.

File: clean (10).jpg (161 KB, 1540x672)

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Before you began speaking, you took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

“You won’t have to worry about Silvermane for a while, I think. This war has hurt him way more than either of us expected it to.” you said.

Matt raised an eyebrow at that, but contributed nothing to the conversation.

“He hired me and my crew to snatch Richards’ suit for him. But…now it’s in the hands of an ambitious engineer.” you continued, letting your shoulders slump a bit. “I never meant for any of this to happen. It all started out as a simple job, and now it’s gotten way out of hand.”

With that admission out in the open, Matt silently pondered the ramifications of what you’d just told him. You found yourself growing increasingly nervous about what he might say, and it hadn’t yet dawned on you how ridiculous that notion might be. You weren’t some sweaty teen asking a girl out to the spring formal.

Finally, Matt nodded and folded his arms over his chest. “Alright. That explains a few things.” he said, in a far more mild tone than you would’ve expected. “Any idea where the engineer is?”

You shook your head. “Nope. Me and my team tried to track us down, but he somehow managed to give everyone the slip.” you said, no pun intended. “His name’s Maxwell Dillon, by the way.”

“I’ll have some friends look into it sometime later. If you find anything else out, be sure to send it my way.” he said, not quite looking at you as he spoke. He seemed to be listening for something.

“What are you planning to do?” you asked.

“For now, I need to focus on minimizing the damage that these mercs and crooks are doing to the city. That means increased patrols around the shadier parts of town. I’ll probably have to call in some favors and shake a few capes out of inactivity.” he declared. “We don’t need looters and rioters when we’re already struggling to get back on our feet.”

After what you saw at the hospital that your brother was staying at, you agreed with him completely.

Matt turned as if to walk away, but you called out to him before he could get far.

“Hey, Matt. Are we cool? I know you and I haven’t talked much ever since…you know.” you said, feeling far more awkward than you reasonably should.

Matt turned his head a fraction, but didn’t make any further movements.

“Ever since that day, I’ve been trying to be better. I’ve even set up some rules for my group, and I’ve been helping people too.” you said, hoping that your argument was a convincing one. “I guess what I’m trying to say is…thanks for giving me a chance.”

There was a long pause after that, and you found yourself emulating that very same nervous energy from before. The silence had almost become unbearable, when Matt finally turned his whole body around to face you.

(Cont.)

Though it was slightly strained, and a bit brittle at the edges, Matt had an unmistakable smile on his face.

“Thank you, Benny. That means a lot. It really does.” he said, not a trace of doubt or suspicion in his voice. “I know that any judgment coming from me just comes off as sounding hypocritical, but I truly think that we all have to try to do better. It isn’t an overnight change, and it takes constant work, but the fact that you’re putting in the effort is a good step in the right direction.”

Suddenly, all that tension that had been building up in your muscles relaxed all at once. The knowledge that you weren’t about to lose a potential friend was far more of a relief to you than you would’ve thought.

“And if you’re not too busy,” Matt continued. “I could use some help cleaning up these streets every now and again.”

>”I think you’re being a little too hard on yourself. I’ve met far worse people in my lifetime.”
>”I’ve got some time before my next appointment. Sure, why not?”
>”How about we get something to eat first. I’m starved.”
>”Maybe another time. I’ve got a lot on my plate right now. But I appreciate the invitation.”
>”I’ll give you a call if I run into Max. Just in case you feel like taking a swing at him.”
>Write-in.

Pastebins:

Character Sheet:
https://pastebin.com/1ZihFYSV

Equipment and Gear:
https://pastebin.com/WAhveFAd

Contacts:
https://pastebin.com/WdcFXD2s

10 Commandments of the Desperados:
https://pastebin.com/Qpr2jVPE

Costumes:
https://pastebin.com/5Jie54X2

>>5306110

>”I think you’re being a little too hard on yourself. I’ve met far worse people in my lifetime.”
>”I’ve got some time before my next appointment. Sure, why not?”
>”How about we get something to eat first. I’m starved.”


Also what happened between us?

>>5306110
>”I’ve got some time before my next appointment. Sure, why not?”
>”I think you’re being a little too hard on yourself. I’ve met far worse people in my lifetime.”
>Falling is human, but rising is divine. Or atleast that's how I think the saying goes, never payed much attention.

>>5306110
>>”I think you’re being a little too hard on yourself. I’ve met far worse people in my lifetime.”
>>”I’ve got some time before my next appointment. Sure, why not?”

>>5306123
We killed Moon Knight's brother because he was part of the vampire conspiracy.
We probably should have a talk with him too one of these days,

>>5306130
ah I remember that, thought we did something else

>>5306124
+1

>>5306130
>We killed Moon Knight's brother because he was part of the vampire conspiracy
He'll be back

>>5306123
+1, though Tombstone is next

>>5306110
>>”Maybe another time. I’ve got a lot on my plate right now. But I appreciate the invitation.”
>>”I’ll give you a call if I run into Max. Just in case you feel like taking a swing at him.”
We gotta get prepared for tombstone

File: Spoiler Image (681 KB, 2753x4096)

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>>5306110
>”I think you’re being a little too hard on yourself. I’ve met far worse people in my lifetime.”
>”I’ve got some time before my next appointment. Sure, why not?”
Learning some fighting from Stick would be sick, especially if we can do his blind fighting with our Spidey Sense
Also, have this this Tinkerbell

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>>5306412
Have this one

>>5306123
>>5306124
>>5306200
>>5306128
>>5306350
>>5306373
>>5306412
>”I think you’re being a little too hard on yourself. I’ve met far worse people in my lifetime.”
>”I’ve got some time before my next appointment. Sure, why not?”

Taking these. Writing...

>>5306412
>>5306596
Goth Tink is incredibly based!

File: EQH1ysWWsAA7QLf.jpg (246 KB, 791x1200)

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“I’ve got some time before my next appointment. Sure, why not?” you said with a shrug, joining him at the rooftop ledge.

He gave you an approving nod, and you gave him one of your own.

“Oh, and I think you’re being a little too hard on yourself.” you added. “I’ve met far worse people in my life.”

Matt’s expression was an unreadable one, but you thought you sensed gratitude mixed somewhere in that flurry of emotions. He didn’t respond with words, and simply leapt from the building, plummeting headfirst with his arms spread out. You followed his example a moment later, allowing the blind man to get a good head start so you could trail after him.

—------

Over the course of the next few hours, you and Matt went on an absolute warpath. With his supernatural sensory capabilities, you hunted down and squashed any kind of delinquent activity that required direct intervention. Neither of you spoke very much, and he didn’t attempt to pry into your life. You were simply enjoying each other's company.

At certain times, Matt would turn his head slightly and scowl in a random direction. When you asked him about it, he simply told you that there were some cruelties that he couldn’t prevent or punish. It took you a moment, but you figured that he was talking about crimes of the domestic level. Parents abusing their children, husbands beating their wives, and the frequent bullying that went on between younger kids. Superheroes could do nothing to change such things, as the problem stemmed from issues on a societal level. Or maybe it was human nature for people to want to take advantage of another’s weakness. You’ve seen far too much shit to consider yourself any sort of optimist, but you guessed that any cape had to be something of an optimist to keep doing what they do.

It was better than being a cop, at least. Now there was a thankless and dangerous job! Hill and Callisto might call you crazy, but even you’re not crazy enough to go toe to toe with high level metas with only a pistol.

With each and every engagement, you found yourself watching Matt fight. You were studying his every move, the way he’d react to incoming attacks, the fluidity with which he would parry blows and return them in the blink of an eye. Every movement felt practiced and rehearsed to the point of obsession. If there’s anything that you learned from a life of violence and juvenile behavior, it was that real fights were far messier and ended much quicker. Especially when two practiced martial artists were going at it. All it took was a single mistake.

But this? Watching Matt fight here and now…the whole thing felt choreographed. You were really going to have to convince this guy to personally train you someday.

—--------

(Cont.)

File: 2039940-tombstone02.jpg (81 KB, 632x960)

81 KB JPG

Eventually, you and your friend had to part ways, as it was nearing the time for your meeting with Tombstone. All sorts of thoughts ran through your mind on your way to his building, and you were wondering whether what you were doing was truly wise.

Early in your career, you’d resolved to take out Tombstone and eliminate the competition. Looking back on it, your plans had been far grander than they are now. Criminal empires are overrated anyway. Having a small, but manageable team works far better in your favor.

—-----

The moment you’d crossed into Tombstone’s territory, you made a point to pay close attention to your spider-sense. You might not be able to sense all types of surveillance, but you could certainly sense a sniper lining up his crosshairs from any distance.

Strangely, enough, you didn’t feel anything remotely threatening in your general vicinity. How strange…

By the time you arrived at the albino’s building, you scaled the shear surface and crawled up into the open window leading into Tombstone’s office. He’d left it unlocked, just like he promised. When you entered the room, you found Tombstone waiting for you, leaning on his desk with one massive hand. His expression was one of mild irritation, but not downright hate or contempt.

You took a moment to glance around, frowning at the lack of an ambush waiting for you. Despite you standing this close to the big guy, your spider-sense still wasn’t going off! It was almost off-putting.

“Huntsman. So glad you could show up.” he said in that menacing, verbose tone of his, sounding anything but.

You just shrugged. “You know I wouldn’t miss this for the world. We’ve got some serious catching up to do.”

Tombstone’s eyes narrowed slightly, and you could’ve swore that his pupils shrank a bit. “That we do. But now is not the time for that.” he said, pushing off of his desk and walking over to a bland looking wall. He pressed his hand against a part of the dark material, and it sank slightly as a hidden pressure plate revealed itself.

Behind that pressure plate. A black, reflective slate slide open. Tombstone placed his hand upon it, and an audible click from a mechanism deep within the wall signaled the large man to take a step back.

Suddenly, the wall slid open, revealing a long hallway leading into another room.

“Follow me. I want to show you something.” he said, entering the hall without looking back.

You hesitated, but eventually decided to follow once you were sure that there was a sufficient amount of distance between the two of you.

The cramped, narrow space gave you an uncomfortable feeling. You were almost certain that you could run circles around Tombstone without him landing a proper hit on you, but in this kind of environment…you were feeling a lot less sure of yourself.

(Cont.)

About a minute later, Tombstone’s broad back was no longer blocking out the light coming from the connecting room, and he stepped aside to allow you to enter beside him.

In the middle of the well-lit room, you say something that you couldn’t quite explain. A cube of opaque plastic sheeting was surrounding what you assumed was a bedridden patient. Their breathing was labored, and the rhythmic beeping of an EKG machine and other life support devices filled the silence.

You squinted, trying to identify the person inside, but Tombstone decided to save you the trouble.

“This…is my daughter.” he said. “The Goblin did this to her. I’m sure of it now.”

You looked down to see his hands clenched into fists, his veins popping as dug bloody crescents into his palms.

What will you say?

>”What happened? The Goblin attacked her?”
>”This is why you weren’t trying to snatch Slip’s suit. You were worried about your daughter.”
>”You want revenge. Did you bring me all the way here so that you could ask me to whack Gobbie for you?”
>”To be fair, the guy looked and sounded unstable from the start. Not an ideal business partner to have.”
>”Why show this to me? I’m not exactly in your circle of trust, Tombsey. In fact, I was 90% sure that this was going to be a trap.”
>Write-in.

Pastebins:

Character Sheet:
https://pastebin.com/1ZihFYSV

Equipment and Gear:
https://pastebin.com/WAhveFAd

Contacts:
https://pastebin.com/WdcFXD2s

10 Commandments of the Desperados:
https://pastebin.com/Qpr2jVPE

Costumes:
https://pastebin.com/5Jie54X2

>>5306888
What happened? The Goblin attacked her?”
>”This is why you weren’t trying to snatch Slip’s suit. You were worried about your daughter.”
>”You want revenge. Did you bring me all the way here so that you could ask me to whack Gobbie for you?”
>”To be fair, the guy looked and sounded unstable from the start. Not an ideal business partner to have.”
>”Why show this to me? I’m not exactly in your circle of trust, Tombsey. In fact, I was 90% sure that this was going to be a trap.”

All of the above

>>5306888
>”What happened? The Goblin attacked her?”
>”You want revenge. Did you bring me all the way here so that you could ask me to whack Gobbie for you?”
>”To be fair, the guy looked and sounded unstable from the start. Not an ideal business partner to have.”
>”Why show this to me? I’m not exactly in your circle of trust, Tombsey. In fact, I was 90% sure that this was going to be a trap.”

>>5306888
>”What happened? The Goblin attacked her?”
>”Why show this to me? I’m not exactly in your circle of trust, Tombsey. In fact, I was 90% sure that this was going to be a trap.”

>>5306888
>”What happened? The Goblin attacked her?”
>”This is why you weren’t trying to snatch Slip’s suit. You were worried about your daughter.”
>”You want revenge. Did you bring me all the way here so that you could ask me to whack Gobbie for you?”

>>5306900
Supporting.

>>5306892
>>5306897
>>5306900
>>5306920
>>5306947
>”What happened? The Goblin attacked her?”
>”You want revenge. Did you bring me all the way here so that you could ask me to whack Gobbie for you?”
>”Why show this to me? I’m not exactly in your circle of trust, Tombsey. In fact, I was 90% sure that this was going to be a trap.”

Taking these. Writing...

>>5306888
>”What happened? The Goblin attacked her?”
>”You want revenge. Did you bring me all the way here so that you could ask me to whack Gobbie for you?”

>>5307029
Whoops! This too

File: Lonnie_Lincoln_(Earth-TRN(...).png (2.05 MB, 1176x1170)

2.05 MB PNG

“What happened? The Goblin attacked her?” you asked.

Tombstone shook his head. “Not directly, no.” he said, not taking his eyes off of his daughter’s vague silhouette. “Sometime during the attack on the Vulture’s base, she started showing some rather serious symptoms to a virus that we couldn’t quite identify. We traced the time of exposure to when my daughter was without my protection or superveillance. It was all a bit too convenient.”

“But that doesn’t mean that the Goblin did it.” you argued.

Tombstone just nodded, still not looking you in the eye.

“We managed to pull camera footage of an individual known as ‘Hazrat’ at the scene during the time of her exposure. I think it’s safe to say that the rat bastard used a chemical weapon or a manufactured virus to infect my little girl.” he explained, his shark-like teeth grinding against one another as he spoke. “On his own, he doesn’t have much of a motive. But according to the media, Hazrat is a known associate of the Green Goblin. Once we’d pieced that together, it all started to make sense.”

“He’s been using your daughter as a bargaining chip.” you concluded.

Tombstone’s jaw clenched at that, but he made no move towards you.

“In exchange for my daughter’s life, and what little of her ‘good health’ she has left, I’ve ordered my men to follow the Goblin’s orders to a T.”

“You want revenge.” you said, looking up at him. “Did you bring me all the way over here so that you could ask me to whack Gobbie for you?”

To your surprise, Tombstone shook his head. “No. Nothing so simple.” he said in a low rumble.

“Then why show me this?” you asked. “I’m not exactly in your circle of trust, Tombsey. In fact, I was 90% sure that this was going to be a trap.”

Tombstone turned to face you then, an aura of menace radiating off of him as he loomed over you.

“I don’t want you to kill the Goblin, Huntsman. That’s something that I intend to do with my own hands. Slowly…and painfully.” he declared, his knuckles popping as he clenched his fists until they turned even whiter than they normally were. “No…I want you to bring down everything that the Goblin has stolen from me. I want you to sabotage my operations.”

At that point, your brain kinda just…shut off. Tombstone wanted to hire you to tear down his empire? All because the Goblin had his grubby little green fingers dipped into it?

(Cont.)

How will you respond?

>”Isn’t that a little…extreme?”
>”That still doesn’t explain why you called me specifically to deal with this.”
>”Why don’t I just try and steal the cure for your daughter? He has to have it somewhere.”
>”Have you tried letting someone else look at her? There are some pretty smart people on the other side of the fence.”
>”You’d better be serious about this. Because if you aren’t…there’s no going back.”
>”...How much?”
>”Sorry…but I can’t. That’d put me right in the Goblin’s crosshairs, and I’m trying to keep my distance from him right now."
>"I've kind of got a lot on my plate right now. I might know some friends that'd love to shut down your operations, though."
>Write-in.

Pastebins:

Character Sheet:
https://pastebin.com/1ZihFYSV

Equipment and Gear:
https://pastebin.com/WAhveFAd

Contacts:
https://pastebin.com/WdcFXD2s

10 Commandments of the Desperados:
https://pastebin.com/Qpr2jVPE

Costumes:
https://pastebin.com/5Jie54X2

>>5307052
That still doesn’t explain why you called me specifically to deal with this.”
>”Why don’t I just try and steal the cure for your daughter? He has to have it somewhere.”
>”Have you tried letting someone else look at her? There are some pretty smart people on the other side of the fence.”

>>5307052
>”That still doesn’t explain why you called me specifically to deal with this.”
>”Why don’t I just try and steal the cure for your daughter? He has to have it somewhere.”

>>5307052
>”Isn’t that a little…extreme?”
>”That still doesn’t explain why you called me specifically to deal with this.”
>”Why don’t I just try and steal the cure for your daughter? He has to have it somewhere.”
>”Have you tried letting someone else look at her? There are some pretty smart people on the other side of the fence.”
>”You’d better be serious about this. Because if you aren’t…there’s no going back.”

>>5307052
>>”Why don’t I just try and steal the cure for your daughter? He has to have it somewhere.”
>”...How much?”

>>5307052
>”Why don’t I just try and steal the cure for your daughter? He has to have it somewhere.”
>”Have you tried letting someone else look at her? There are some pretty smart people on the other side of the fence.”
>"Well, I'm pretty sure I'm already on GG's shitlist, and given our less than stellar past, no one would bet that yoy would be hiring me to deatroy your own faction. So I'm in Tombstone, as soon as I finish a job I have lined up the Desperados will start"

>>5307052
>”...How much?”

>>5307052
>”Have you tried letting someone else look at her? There are some pretty smart people on the other side of the fence.”
"I've kind of got a lot on my plate right now. I might know some friends that'd love to shut down your operations, though."

>>5307052
>>”Isn’t that a little…extreme?”
>>”That still doesn’t explain why you called me specifically to deal with this.”
>>”Why don’t I just try and steal the cure for your daughter? He has to have it somewhere.”
>>”Have you tried letting someone else look at her? There are some pretty smart people on the other side of the fence.”
>"Also, I don't like the thought of two crumbled crime empires in New York. You must have heard what happened with Silverman. That'd make it extra easy for Kingpin to literally take all of the underworld."

>>5307052
>"I've kind of got a lot on my plate right now. I might know some friends that'd love to shut down your operations, though."
>”Believe me, they’re more than competent.”
I say we hand this over to Daredevil and White Tiger because we’re already compromised. We’ve no doubt been seen entering Tombstone’s window just now, and Gobby will put two and two together. If Daredevil does it, however, we have a solid alibi in that we were elsewhere and taking down crime organisations is just the kind of thing heroes do. Putting us, our team and, potentially, our family in Green Goblin’s crosshairs is a very bad idea.
Plus we actually are kind of swamped with work right now.

>>5307522
Those are some good points.
>>5307097
I'm changing my vote to
>”Why don’t I just try and steal the cure for your daughter? He has to have it somewhere.”
>”Have you tried letting someone else look at her? There are some pretty smart people on the other side of the fence.”
>"I've kind of got a lot on my plate right now. I might know some friends that'd love to shut down your operations, though."

>>5307052
>”Why don’t I just try and steal the cure for your daughter? He has to have it somewhere.”
>”Have you tried letting someone else look at her? There are some pretty smart people on the other side of the fence.”
>"I've kind of got a lot on my plate right now. I might know some friends that'd love to shut down your operations, though."

>>5307609
Any possibility you can tell me which IP you were before, or what your previous vote had been?

>>5307609
>>5307754
Oh no wait, I see what you did there. My bad. Just waking up

>>5307757
Guten morgen.

>>5307053
>>5307060
>>5307072
>>5307085
>>5307455
>>5307490
>>5307521
>>5307522
>>5307609
>>5307659
>”That still doesn’t explain why you called me specifically to deal with this.”
>”Why don’t I just try and steal the cure for your daughter? He has to have it somewhere.”
>”Have you tried letting someone else look at her? There are some pretty smart people on the other side of the fence.”
>"I've kind of got a lot on my plate right now. I might know some friends that'd love to shut down your operations, though."

Took me longer than it should've to count these up and decide which ones I would take. Writing...

>>5307765
Mornin' anon

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“That still doesn’t explain why you called me specifically to deal with this.” you argued.

A flash of annoyance swept across Tombstone’s face for a moment, but he quickly schooled his expression. “That’s simple. It’s because you’re a pest. A thorn in the side of any respectable crime boss with proper roots dug into this city. A free agent with no allegiances and no orders to follow.” he said. “But above all, it’s because you’re a selfish bastard. And like many others before you, I think you’d jump at the chance to get me out of the picture so that you could capitalize on my absence.”

“...I guess that’s fair.” you admitted, not feeling the need to engage the gangster in criminal politics. “Why don’t I just try and steal the cure for your daughter. He has to have it somewhere.”

The big albino gave you a thoughtful look and shifted his stance slightly. “That’s probably easier said than done. You have no way of knowing what the antidote looks like or where they might be keeping it, and that would require far too much work on either of our part to pull off.” he said. “But…if you’re feeling particularly foolhardy, then you are welcome to try. Just don’t bring him knocking on my doorstep when you do fail.”

You tried, and failed, not to scowl at that.

“Have you tried letting someone else look at her? There are some pretty smart people on the other side of the fence.” you suggested.

Tombstone sighed slightly. “I know. And I have considered it, but there’s too big of a chance that they might imprison her for her connections to my operations. And without my resources to aid either of us, she won’t be shown any favor or mercy in the courtroom.” he explained. “However…if this goes on any longer, then I might be forced to take such a course of action. Her life is more important than her future.”

You nodded, understanding a bit of what he was saying. “I’ve kind of got a lot on my plate right now. I might know some friends who’d love to shut down your operations, though.”

Tombstone raised an eyebrow at that. Then, he nodded.

“That might be a more favorable solution for both of us. By dividing up the work, we can cripple the Goblin’s forces quickly, and without incriminating either of us.” he concluded.

“If this does succeed, we can discuss payment at a later date.” he continued. “And furthermore, if you happen to come across anything that looks particularly valuable while you’re attacking my men, you’re welcome to keep it.”

Now there was a nice thought! It almost made you want to do it all by yourself. Almost.

Tombstone reached into his jacket pocket, and you jerked back reflexively. Noticing this, he proceeded to pull something out, slowly and carefully, never taking his eyes away from yours. What he pulled out was a black, rectangular device that looked vaguely familiar.

“On this drive, you’ll find everything that you need to know to ruin me. It contains very sensitive information that could result in the catastrophic failure of my operations if it were to ever fall into the wrong hands.” Tombstone said, handing it over to you. “Take care of it.”

—------

With that settled, Tombstone let you out of his secret passageway and watched as you swung away from his building. You had a lot to think about here. Tombstone hiring you to take out his own men was utter insanity! It made sense, in a way, but you hadn’t expected it from a guy like him.

And even with Tombsey out of the picture, you still had the Goblin to worry about. He was making moves, and you weren’t sure what end he was working towards. All you could do was hope that he’d leave you alone and get taken out by some other cape or disgruntled meta. This would be the second time that you’ve outright interfered with his plans, though. It probably wasn’t good for your health to mess around with someone as dangerous as him. But then again, it came with the occupation.

Who will you pass the information along to?

>Daredevil
>White Tiger
>Maria Hill
>Spider-Woman
>Moon Knight
>Write-in.

Pastebins:

Character Sheet:
https://pastebin.com/1ZihFYSV

Equipment and Gear:
https://pastebin.com/WAhveFAd

Contacts:
https://pastebin.com/WdcFXD2s

10 Commandments of the Desperados:
https://pastebin.com/Qpr2jVPE

Costumes:
https://pastebin.com/5Jie54X2

>>5307811
What's the most money we can collect by popping this pinata? And how to best actually dismantle this empire?
I say we first go to our own personal hacker friend first since they likely know best how to navigate digital information like this
>Julia Carpenter

>>5307811
>>Moon Knight
we need to talk to him and see if we're cool anyway
we'll have matt help us with electro this is more knight's forte anyway

>>5307811
>Daredevil
>White Tiger
Taking down organised crime is DD’s whole MO.

>>5307812
I like the way you are thinking. +1

>>5307811
>Daredevil
>White Tiger

>>5307812
Support

>>5307811
>Daredevil
>White Tiger

>>5307811
>Daredevil
>White Tiger

>>5307811
>Daredevil
>White Tiger
I think Matt and Angela would greatly appreciate a more direct task than "Save the city from itself".
Also Hill and Spider-Woman don't really handle street stuff.
Moon Knight is also probably busy establishing a new chapter of Khonshu's cult.

>>5307824
>>5307834
>>5307843
>>5307847
>>5307856
>Daredevil
>White Tiger

Taking these. Writing...

File: 462adt_com_crd_01.jpg (53 KB, 540x614)

53 KB JPG

As soon as you were able, you handed the data off to the two people that you knew for certain would make the best use out of it. Matt and Angela.

Angela was glad to see that you were doing okay, and she was even more excited to hear that you were trying to do better. You didn’t want to be on either of their bad sides.

When you presented the drive and explained the situation surrounding it, both seemed surprised by the sheer scope of the underground politics that you’d been wrapped up in lately. Honestly, you couldn’t blame them. You can barely remember how simple your life was before all this metahuman nonsense swept you up into a whirlwind of bullshit and constant trickery.

They took the drive and thanked you for giving them a good starting point towards cleaning up the city. Tombstone’s absence won’t be missed, but it’d be noticed for sure. Things will be sweet for a few weeks, until someone else tries to muscle in on his old territory. In a less than ideal scenario, there might be multiple factions fighting to control it. Only time would tell.

Nevertheless, both your friends seemed pleased by this development. You just hoped that they’d be prepared to deal with the inevitable fallout of their actions. Most capes weren’t nearly as responsible as they claimed to be, but you had high hopes for these two.

—------

Over the next few days, you and your team spent most of your time preparing for Hill’s mission. It was the next best thing to a job that you had while you waited for Silvermane to get his shit together. During that time, Electro hadn’t made any new appearances, and the Chameleon refused to come out of hiding. You were fairly nervous about both, if you were being honest. You absolutely hated loose ends. Especially ones that threatened your identity and your loved ones.

Speaking of loved ones, Flint had left to watch over your family a few days back. He would relieve Cindy, giving her time to relax, sleep, spend time with the folks, or just sneak out and fight crime. You didn’t particularly like the idea of her flying solo just yet, but you figured that she had spent far too much time cooped up in that hospital already. She was trained from birth to protect the weak, and her instincts must have been screaming at her to get up and do something ever since those looters attacked the hospital. You weren’t cruel enough to try and hold her back. Especially when she had more training and combat experience than you did.

Callisto required the least amount of preparation. Once she’d found someone to look after the Morlocks while she was gone, she pretty much just sat in on your team meetings and read over the debrief that Hill sent over. Her knives and some light rations were the only things that she was planning on bringing. Taking her lifestyle into consideration, you’d somewhat expected her to be a light packer.

(Cont.)

Anastasia would drop by every now and again, but most of the time, she’d been using your warehouse to store her weapons and the various pieces of hunting gear and equipment that she was planning on bringing. All were newly acquired, as far as you could tell. For someone that slept in the park, your friend with benefits was surprisingly well connected.

Prowler had taken Felicia’s advice and made some adjustments to his suit. He removed the cape and some of the extra layers that offered him more protection in battle. That was about the only thing that changed, however. He was still adamant on covering up every inch of his skin. Not that you were one to talk.

Felicia’s costume change had been, by far, the most eye-catching. She somehow found a way to expose even MORE cleavage as she increased the width and depth of the already considerably deep V-neck of her catsuit, and swapped out the leather for something more breathable.

Glass mostly just sat around and chatted idly with Callisto. Neither had any special skills that you needed during the prep phase, so you were content to let them be.

What will you do to prepare for this mission?

>Swing on over to Phin’s shop to get that new suit built.
>Get some work done at Phin’s shop.(Write-in.)
>Build some more gadgets with Prowler.(Which ones?)
>Fix up the Wallcrawler with Prowler's help. You'll have to ask Hill if you can bring it with you on your expedition.
>Coordinate with “Lost Boy” and learn as much as you can from him.
>Make another supply run so that your family has everything they need before you depart.
>Write-in.

Pastebins:

Character Sheet:
https://pastebin.com/1ZihFYSV

Equipment and Gear:
https://pastebin.com/WAhveFAd

Contacts:
https://pastebin.com/WdcFXD2s

10 Commandments of the Desperados:
https://pastebin.com/Qpr2jVPE

Costumes:
https://pastebin.com/5Jie54X2

>>5307905
>Fix up the Wallcrawler with Prowler's help. You'll have to ask Hill if you can bring it with you on your expedition.
>Coordinate with “Lost Boy” and learn as much as you can from him.
>Make another supply run so that your family has everything they need before you depart.

The way the crawler just kinda glides over terrain will be a help for those on our team who aren't as mobile as us.

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>>5307905
>Coordinate with “Lost Boy” and learn as much as you can from him.
>Swing on over to Phin’s shop to get that new suit built.
>See if Phin can't fabricate a custom machete while you're there, preferably something a little more durable than plain old steel
>Swing by the local army surplus store and pick up a slouch hat (pic related)
FASHION!

>>5307920
Supporting mainly for the hat.
With that pretty sure we can keep going at it with Kravinov

>>5307922
The hat and the machete just seem like good picks for trailblazing.
I'm gonna assume we won't be able to swing around much, so being able to bushwhack without having the fucking sun in our eyes is important.

>>5307905
>Coordinate with “Lost Boy” and learn as much as you can from him.
>Make another supply run so that your family has everything they need before you depart.
I'm not bringing in a giant wheel to a jungle.

>>5307920
I also support H A T.
No need for a machete though, we already got a super knife.

>>5307931
My friend, a machete and a knife are two different tools.

>>5307920
+1 don't forget to add a whip

>>5307940
Webs are essentially infinite whips when you think about it

>>5307941
Where there's a Whip, there a way
>>5307920
Ditto

>>5307992
But I don't want to go to war today.

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>>5308004

>>5308023
You missed opportunity to have the filename be nay, nay, nay

>>5308035
Aw fuck you're right

>>5307920
>>Make another supply run so that your family has everything they need before you depart.
+1 to that and this

>>5307905
> Swing on over to Phin’s shop to get that new suit built, and ask about a custom built machete
>Coordinate with “Lost Boy” and learn as much as you can from him.
>Make another supply run so that your family has everything they need before you depart.

>>5308350
>Felicia’s costume change had been, by far, the most eye-catching. She somehow found a way to expose even MORE cleavage as she increased the width and depth of the already considerably deep V-neck of her catsuit, and swapped out the leather for something more breathable.
someone's jealous

>>5307910
>>5307920
>>5307922
>>5307931
>>5307940
>>5307928
>>5308159
>>5308307
>Coordinate with “Lost Boy” and learn as much as you can from him.
>Swing on over to Phin’s shop to get that new suit built.
>See if Phin can't fabricate a custom machete while you're there, preferably something a little more durable than plain old steel
>Swing by the local army surplus store and pick up a slouch hat
>Make another supply run so that your family has everything they need before you depart.

Taking these. Writing!

Also, I'm a little more than halfway through Book 1 of Peter and the Starcatchers. It's an interesting read, for sure.

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>>5308350
Speaking of her ass and costumes…

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As soon as you were able, you swung over to Phin’s shop to request that your new suit be constructed. It took you longer than usual to get his attention today. The inside of his shop was fairly cluttered, so you assumed that he was either backed up with orders or was obsessed with some new pet project of his.

When you got down to talking, you discovered that it was the former. Apparently, many of the mercs that had participated in the hunt for Slip had come to him for specially crafted weapons and equipment. It wasn’t terribly surprising when you took a moment to think about it.

While he was glancing over the schematics that Black Cat drew up, you mentioned that you were in need of a machete. Phin just looked up and stared at you. You stared back.

Eventually, the Tinkerer sighed and went into the back to rummage around for something. You heard a lot of banging and cursing before he came back out, and in his hands, he held a considerably sharp machete.

Apparently, it was made out of a highly durable and highly resistant steel alloy. You tried to spring for something more exciting or fantastic, but he just shook his head, saying something about using rare metals to coat weapons is almost always a terrible idea. As he constructed your suit, he started to bicker about the Black Panther literally throwing Vibranium at his enemies, and how kids today who play too many video games expect more exotic metals to “do more damage” than they reasonably should.

You eventually got bored and decided to head out while he worked, leaving your new machete at his store so that you might pick it up later. Carrying it around all day would quickly get…uncomfortable.

—------

While you were still in your civvies, you dropped by your local army surplus store and picked up a nice little slouch hat, just in case the weather in Neverland wasn’t as fair as Pan claimed. Thankfully, this store in particular hadn’t been hit by any looters. You quite liked the staff that worked here.

You decided to wear the hat on the way out, only to remove it when you changed back into your spidey suit. You wouldn’t have minded walking to the supermarket, but you knew damn well how hard it was to fight your way through those crowds when it got really busy. Better to get there faster, rather than get stabbed by some old lady with a rusty screwdriver.

—------

Just as you thought, the stores were crowded, the shelves were empty, and the staff was hard pressed to keep up with demand. You simultaneously felt bad for them, and grateful for your own luck. You’d be caught dead before you worked retail.

Sure, you’ve worked with your fair share of shady scumbags, but these customers were downright savages! You’ve been shoved, elbowed and you were pretty sure someone was trying to steal your wallet right now.

No, wait…

No, yeah. They’re just touching your ass. Fucking sickos, man.

—---

(Cont.)

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When you went to drop the supplies off at the hospital, you were disappointed to find that Cindy had already left before you’d arrived. She was probably out there fighting crime at this very moment. You weren’t so much worried as you were regretful that you couldn’t check in on her.

—--

Everyone in your immediate family was in the room to see Rich again. He was looking much better now. You suspected that he’d be recovered enough to be released once you were done with your current mission.

You and your brother exchanged knowing looks, but said nothing that didn’t fit into the formal brotherly banter that the two of you maintained in public. You’d need more privacy before you could squeeze any new info out of him.

After a few minutes, your parents offered to leave so that you and Vic could stay with Richard. You and Vic refused at almost the same time, telling them to take their time catching up. Vic caught you in the hall sometime later, and you were forced to explain that you would be gone for a few days, and maybe a week at most.

When pressed on the matter, you just told her that you were doing some community service to help out New York’s youth. That earned you a flat look from your sister, which you supposed was better than an outright frown.

Regardless, she’d learned long ago not to have these sorts of conversations in front of children. Especially kids as perceptive as little Peter here.

You gave both of them a hug and went your separate ways for now. You probably wouldn’t see them again for a while. All you could do was hope that Neverland wasn’t terribly difficult to return from.

—------

Somehow, you weren’t surprised when Peter was the one to pick you up and fly you to the Helicarrier. The kid was surprisingly strong for someone his size. You made a joke about him granting you the ability to fly with faith, trust and pixie dust. But instead of receiving the derisive sneer that you were expecting, he just gave you a knowing smirk.

If that hadn’t been unusual enough, Pan’s voice was different today. It wasn’t hard to tell that he’d changed his accent from Irish to British, but you were unsure as to why. When you inquired about the change, he simply apologized for his being short with you the other day. In his own words, he was having a particularly bad day, and too much time spent at the “Pixie Hollow” has had a negative influence on his attitude.

You didn’t understand everything that he was saying to you, but you couldn’t deny that he was far less insufferable than he had been when you’d first met. Maybe you’ll hold off on pummeling him for now.

—------

(Cont.)

When you next sat down, you and Pan were in a room with Hill in the back, who was rapidly tapping and sliding her fingers along the surface of an ultrathin tablet. You figured that she was trying to supervise the two of you, while simultaneously attempting to get some work done. She only looked up when Pan hocked a wad of spit onto the floor. Her eyes seemed to follow it as it traveled and spattered onto the floor.

For a moment, no one said anything about it, and Hill let out a long, suffering sigh before going back to her work. Moments later, a tiny little black Roomba swiveled towards the spot and began cleaning it enthusiastically.

“So,” Pan began to say. “What do ya want to know?”

What will you ask?

>”How’re we going to get to Neverland in the first place? Does it exist in this world, or in another one?”
>”What can you tell me about the magical creatures that live there?”
>”You said that there are multiple factions at play in Neverland. Tell me more about them.”
>”Tell me about the mutant kids that you brought to Neverland. What were their powers?”
>Write-in.

Pastebins:

Character Sheet:
https://pastebin.com/1ZihFYSV

Equipment and Gear:
https://pastebin.com/WAhveFAd

Contacts:
https://pastebin.com/WdcFXD2s

10 Commandments of the Desperados:
https://pastebin.com/Qpr2jVPE

Costumes:
https://pastebin.com/5Jie54X2

>>5308610
>”How’re we going to get to Neverland in the first place? Does it exist in this world, or in another one?”
>”What can you tell me about the magical creatures that live there?”
>”You said that there are multiple factions at play in Neverland. Tell me more about them.”

>>5308610
>>”What can you tell me about the magical creatures that live there?”
>>”You said that there are multiple factions at play in Neverland. Tell me more about them.”

>>5308610
>”You said that there are multiple factions at play in Neverland. Tell me more about them.”
>”Tell me about the mutant kids that you brought to Neverland. What were their powers?”
>"How many kids are we going in to pick up, mutant and non-mutant? This goes without saying, but we have to plan accordingly."
>"I can assume you have a reliable method of getting us into Neverland, but what about getting back out?"
>"Also I'm gonna put this out here right now, but do you care what happens to Tick-Tock? Because I could use a new pair of crocodile skin boots."
>(Speaking to Hill) "Is this gonna be an entirely on-foot expedition? Or are we bringing any vehicles to help transport the kids safely?"

>>5308610
>”What can you tell me about the magical creatures that live there?”
>”You said that there are multiple factions at play in Neverland. Tell me more about them.”

>>5308645
+1

>>5308645
Support

>>5308610
>>5308645 +3

>>5308645
>>5308662
>>5309061
>>5309238
Was halfway done with the update when I was leaving the house! Sorry for the delay. Writing...

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“You said that there are multiple factions at play in Neverland. Tell me about them.” you demanded.

Pan rocked back in his chair, his feet resting at the edge of the table. He looked like he might fall backwards at any moment. “Hm. I told ya about the Pirates. They never really band together or anything, and are usually busy fighting each other half the time.” he began, a pensive look on his face. “There’s the Redskins, Tiger Lily an’ her tribe. We’ve got good relations with them. So ya should be fine, so long as I’m with ye.” he proudly declared.

You barely suppressed an eye roll, but Hill wasn’t so well reserved.

“Ooh! There’s the Knights of the Black Castle, too.” Pan recalled. “Their domain’s in shambles, but there’s still a few wandering around, carrying out their old king’s orders, even in death. Nasty folk, they are.”

“So we don’t want to run into them.” you concluded.

Peter shook his head. “Not if we can help it, no. I can always fly past ‘em, but the rest ye won’t be so lucky.”

Watch out for the Neverland Knights. Got it.

“Those are the most relevant ones. You’ll never get to see how the Mermaids operate down in the murky depths, and the Fairies are real picky about who they let roam freely around Pixie Hollow.” Pan explained. “Don’t bother them, and they won’t bother you.”

“Tell me about the mutant kids that you brought to Neverland. What were their powers?” you asked, changing the subject.

Peter scratched his head, shut his eyes and inhaled deeply. “One of ‘em could shoot fire out of his hands, another could pitch boulders like they were pebbles, and I think one could fly?” he said, not sounding entirely sure. He strained to recall anything more, and to you, it looked like it was a physical effort for him to jumpstart his memory.

Hill was now staring at him thoughtfully, and you got the impression that she wasn’t entirely surprised by this development.

“Alright…” you warily began. “Why don’t you tell me how many kids we’re supposed to rescue. Mutant and non-mutant. This goes without saying, but we have to plan accordingly.”

He frowned at that. “IF they want to leave, you mean.”

There was that urge to pummel him popping up in your head again. It was particularly tempting at this very moment, in fact.

“Just tell me how many kids are there.” you demanded.

Grudgingly, Pan closed his eyes once more and rubbed at his temples. This time, he was straining so hard that you thought he might pop a blood vessel!

“If you haven’t figured this out by now, Lost Boy here has the memory of a goldfish.” Hill informed you, not looking up from her tablet this time. “He has trouble remembering anything significant between days, and he’ll even forget things that he considered to be important within a few years.”

(Cont)

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Peter was glowering at her now. “Hey! My memory’s not that bad!” he protested. “I just…get a bit mixed up sometimes, is all.”

“Uh-huh.” Hill said in a dry tone, clearly unsympathetic towards the Boy Eternal. “In short, he doesn’t remember how many mutants or kids he brought over, or what their powers were. That’s why our intel has been shaky from the start. You’ll have to gather information as you go along.”

You glanced back at Pan, who was now leaning even further back in his chair with his hands folded behind his head, silently pouting. It would’ve been adorable if it were coming from literally any other kid.

Were you really supposed to entrust your life to this guy?

“I can assume you have a reliable method of getting into Neverland, but what about getting out?” you said.

He fixed his gaze on you and sniffed. “Of course. I can bring people in and out as I please. No problem.” he said, waving the question away. It didn’t sound like he intended to tell you anything further.

You glanced at Hill, who nodded her agreement, before continuing. “Alright…I’m just gonna put this out there,” you began. “But do you care what happens to Tick-Tock? Because I could use a new pair of crocodile-skin boots.” you said, pointing to your feet.

Both Hill and Pan stared at you in silence for a few moments. Peter was giving you an appraising look. Eventually, he shrugged, an amused grin spreading across his face.

"Do ya know the one sound that makes every animal in any environment on Neverland flee with their tails between their legs?" he asked. "Tick-Tock. Tick-Tock. Tick-Tock." he said in a sing-song voice.

You were about to respond, but you were promptly silenced by the sound of an actual ticking clock! And it was coming from…

No! Was Peter making that noise with his mouth? How!? It sounded like an honest to God's mechanical clock!

"Tick-Tock's the king of his domain. And his domain is…wherever he feels like it is at that time of day, really. No one fights him on it or argues the point, lest they end up as his lunch." Pan declared with a cocky grin. There was no fear or trepidation in his tone. You thought it was something approaching respect or reverence, but you couldn’t be entirely certain. "But if you really want to press your luck and do something as stupid as taking him on, be my guest. I’m sure it’ll be a great show for the rest of the Lost Boys." he concluded.

You narrowed your eyes at him. That sounded like a challenge. And with Anastasia and Callisto at your side, you liked your chances against the freakishly overgrown fairytale croc.

You turned to Hill, who was just watching the exchange with a mild look of disinterest on her face.

"Is this expedition gonna be entirely on foot, or are we bringing vehicles to transport the kids safely?” you asked.

(Cont.)

Hill exchanged glances with Pan, who shook his head.

“The terrain might be a bit tricky for you to use a vehicle effectively.” Hill replied.

“The jungle canopy’s too thick, and so’s the brush.” Pan added. “Whatever you ended up bringing would get stuck in a matter of minutes. Trust me.”

So you were going to walk all over the island with little to no intel while Pan flew circles around you? Wonderful…

—-----

The conversation died out sometime after that. Neither Pan nor Hill were saying anything concrete about your method of transportation. All you knew was that you were supposed to be meeting her on a boat for some reason.

Feeling as if you’d left that meeting with more questions than answers, you let Pan take you back down to the ground. While you descended, you noticed something odd that should’ve drawn your attention earlier. Despite Peter flying right above you with the sun setting behind him, he didn’t cast a shadow.

When you asked about it, he made a sour face that you didn’t think was meant for you.

—------

Upon returning to Phin’s shop, you were delighted to find that your new suit had been finished. And he had your machete ready to go, too!

The sleek, breathable mesh felt incredibly soft in your hands. It was a noticeable difference from your usual lightly armored, fireproof threads.

Absently, you wondered what you should call it. Every new suit needed a designation.

What will you call it?

>"The Hunter’s Cowl"
>The “Jungle Spider” suit
>The “Hot Pursuit”
>Write-in.
>Leave it up to Score!

Pastebins:

Character Sheet:
https://pastebin.com/1ZihFYSV

Equipment and Gear:
https://pastebin.com/WAhveFAd

Contacts:
https://pastebin.com/WdcFXD2s

10 Commandments of the Desperados:
https://pastebin.com/Qpr2jVPE

Costumes:
https://pastebin.com/5Jie54X2

Gonna break the update up here. When I wake up next, I'll continue writing, whether the vote's been concluded or not.

Finished the first book, by the way. I'm excited to see what the sequels are like.

>>5309424
>Leave it up to Score!
I can tell you really want this one, so go ahead.

>>5309424
>The “Hot Pursuit”
What can I say, I like puns.

>>5309424
>Leave it up to Score!

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>The Croc Eater

>>5309424
>Leave it up to Score!

>>5309487
+1

>>5309424
>>Leave it up to Score!

>>5309424
>Leave it up to Score!

>>5309424
>The "Leave it up to Score!" Suit

>>5309424
>>Leave it up to Score!

>>5309424
>“Whatever you ended up bringing would get stuck in a matter of minutes."
Wonder how the Big Wheel would fare…

>>5309563
You ever got a stick stuck in the spokes of your bike? Well, imagine that multiplied by all the trees in Neverland.

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>>5309565
>a stick stuck in the spokes of your bike
Thanks Obama

>>5309424
>The “Hot Pursuit”

>>5309442
>>5309486
>>5309494
>>5309527
>>5309534
>>5309546
>>5309561
Finally back! Gonna be running today. Writing...