I've always been neutral when it comes to travel. I was never a kid who thirsted for a soul-searching journey, exotic cultures, or scenery. Experiencing that through a screen was more than enough for me. All that mattered was what I needed to do, and tonight wouldn't be any different. So immediately after we landed, James and I departed for our target in the dead of night.

Under the starry sky, Cuba's usually vibrant cityscape turned into a cascade of cool colors, making our destination spookier. Even with closing time, I could tell there was a skeleton crew on this pier with dusty buildings, rusted cargo containers, and splintered docks—the perfect place for some shady smuggling or a fateful ambush. But, of course, when you spend so long hiding in the shadows, you tend to figure out who's lurking with you. So I decided to bring them into the light.

While still trying to play it cool, I stopped my search halfway, leading myself out in the open. From there, the signs started to get more noticeable, the footsteps louder and the movements clearer amongst the rocking waves. Finally, realizing the carnage about to come, I took one last breath and entered the battlefield. Before I knew it, I heard the cocking of several rifles, followed by numerous flashlights. Now properly cornered, a fanciful voice made its reappearance.

"It seems tonight is the night that keeps on giving. Nice to see you again, Paladin."

Keeping to the part, I tried pulling out my pistol, only to hear a cocked pistol a few feet away from me. When my eyes readjusted, I finally saw that Arachne had officially returned.

"I wouldn't want you to dare interrupt my entrance a second time. Especially when I spent so long weaving this web for you," he said eccentrically.

With his ego all the higher, I decided to string him along.

"I guess you have, I knew Stan was paranoid, but I didn't think he planned so carefully," I said' backhandedly.

"Oh, please, give some credit to Paladin. The only thing that putz is planning is which one of his ex-wives gets to be in his will. Once I get rid of you and acquire the rest of his arms, he's next on the chopping block," Arachne said sadistically.

"Should've known. Honestly, he did seem a little below your pay grade."

"He is, but that will change once I bring your head. I can see the legend of how the Paladin met her end now. Outnumbered, outgunned, and utterly outsmarted," he said sanctimoniously.

Before my next empty response, James interjected through the comm-link.

"I count about an even twenty worth of guys total, eighteen in front with the not-so-friendly neighborhood Spider boy and one about 5 ft behind you. Seem to be local Marielitos carrying automatic rifles. It should be like taking candy from gun-toting babies. I'm ready when you are," he said confidently.

Against my better judgment, I smiled underneath my mask before firing back.

"I told you before, Arachne, your not the first to say that, and you won't be the last. But, I will give you this, you do have me outnumbered," I said mockingly.

I then tilted my head to the right as I felt a bullet brush past it, burying itself into the goon's head before he could even react. At that point, time seemed to slow down, making me see the panicked faces of the men in full view. A momentary hesitation that cost their lives as two grenades rolled towards their backs. Instantly eight men met their end through force and fire. With the pier a shooting ground, it was my time to strike/

In one stroke, I pulled out Gungnir and started firing. I don't have James' perfect accuracy, but I wasn't one to get outdone either. Even with the forceful recoil, my bullets still found temples, arteries, and jugulars, ripping through flesh like wet tissue. Amongst the red mist, Arachne stood paralyzed, his composure again crumbling away as the real fight started.

Vindictvely I turned my bloodlust towards him, hoping to end this in one shot. However, Arachne's survival instinct made him more slippery, like in our last fight. In a split second, he secured himself a human shield that immediately launched from my shot. Arachne screamed in pain, clearly taking damage. Seizing the opportunity, I darted towards him while reloading and ordering James.

"Keep up the covering fire!"

Before we could close in, Arachne struck, firing two torrents of sticky gunk at us. One covered James' sniper rifle while the other launched his now sticky human shield straight at me. Leaving me pinned while the four remaining men regained their bearings. Using my cover, I bunkered down amongst a barrage of bullets. With every shot, the men inched closer, switching out regularly to keep a constant stream of fire.

I desperately continued reloading through blood puddles, just waiting to counterattack. I wouldn't need the chance, though, as a new element entered the fray. They made their presence known with a resounding boom, calling forth attention with every thunderous step. The remaining five men instantly stopped, switching their focus from an unstoppable force to an immovable object.

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Since without his sniper rifle, it was finally time for James to enter the fray or in regards to Titan: Artillery. Drenched like a modern-day knight, James walked towards us in gray, segmented armor of thick Kevlar fibers. Making his hulking frame more intimidating as he stared his foes down with a draconic helmet that left his eyes obscured. We all were stunned by a feeling that passed quickly when looking at his shotgun, machete, and shield.

Hesitation turned back to aggression quickly as, without warning, they opened fire. They were about as effective as pebbles, though, as James' armor held strong. He shifted from a menacing walk to a warring sprint like a living battery ram. The first unlucky soul didn't stand a chance as he instantly got ran through with a blade in his stomach.

James didn't dare waste a movement, though, instantly shifting his charge into a roll while securing his fallen enemy's gun. He might as well still be sniping in his hands as he used the remaining ammo to headshot two men cleanly. Complete fear overtook the two men, now seeing how outclassed they were. In seconds I could see them go from fearful and desperate to downright sloppy as one of them leveled their guns toward me again.

"Stop before I shoot h-"

Before he could get the words out, James threw his machete, instantly burying it in his heart, sending him to the afterlife with one quote.

"As if I'd ever let that happen on my watch," he said decisively.

He then turned his attention towards the lone gunman, who quickly dropped his weapon and ran for the hills. Victorious, James immediately shifted gears from a closed fist to an open hand.

"What would you do without me?" he asked while pulling me out of the ruined corpse.

"I'll answer that after we catch Arachne,"

"How do we find him? I lost track of him in the chaos," he said sheepishly.

"Something tells me he won't be hard to find," I say while pointing at a trail of blood.

James then grabbed the last automatically and started to unsheath his shield and machete, protectively stating.

"I'll lead the way this time."

Minutes later, we entered a warehouse. The same sense of neglect carried through, though, as nameless rusting shipping containers nestled as far as the eye could see. The deeper we ventured, the tenser I got.

"Be careful, James. This guy's getting more dangerous the longer we fight him. He can attack from any angle."

"Don't worry, you know I always care-" he confidently stated while noticing a red dot on his neck.

Out of pure intuition, I tackled him away from the shot, grazing my right shoulder while getting him out of the shot's path before we both crashed into an open cargo container. Upon landing, we both took cover behind the doors, practically dancing out of the way of several more rounds. Then, piercing waves of pain clenched my teeth as I leaned against the wall. Through the ricochet of stray shots, James noticed my wound.

"Sarah, your bleeding. How bad is it!" James said in a mix of regret and panic.

"It's nothing. I'll live. Focus."

Instantly James' expression hardened, adopting his earlier coldness while keeping calm.

"Sounds like a Serbu Bfg 50a, most likely from Stan's vault. I got a decent idea of where it's coming from, but with how itchy that trigger finger is, I can't risk getting immobilized by something that heavy with this little ammo. Think you can cover and close in?" he said.

I gave back one rallying, exasperated breath before saying.

"Yeah, just give me a second," I said while pulling out a flashbang.

Triumphantly I threw our ace in the hole, bathing the entire building in all-consuming light. In those precious few seconds, James barreled forward, firearm in hand, and unleashed hellfire. I didn't even dare waste time thinking, instead placing complete trust in him while taking to the skies. My new grapple gun launched me upwards before I radically swopped toward tackling Arachne from his perch.

The sheer velocity sent us both bouncing on various containers upon touchdown. At this point, our bloodlust ran more profound than any wound, as we both used a staff and talons respectfully to keep from sliding off. Once we got back up, we shared huff breaths amongst fighting stances, with an extra dash of trash talk.

"It's almost sad."

"What is?'

"You talk a big game, but the way I see it, your just as stupid, just as pathetic as Stan."

"Hush," he said coldly.

"Except he wasn't stupid enough to count on only himself, so what does that say about you," I said mockingly.

"HUSH!" Arachne said while lunging forward, claws bared.

Reflexively I braced myself, holding strong amidst Arachne's storm of slashes. Our bodies became nothing more than blurs as each strike sent sparks flying. The standstill didn't last long, though, as Arachne's weakness became more apparent. Upon his next sloppy strike, I instantly retaliated with a low sweep that got him off balance—leaving him wide open with a joust towards where I shot him. Adding insult to injury, I added up the voltage, forcing my strikethrough while letting the volts rampage across Arachne's body.

Blood erupted from Arachne again like a leaky faucet, leaving him staggered enough for a blinding headbutt that sent him crashing against the wall. Not missing a beat, I tried following up with a flying kick, only for the sly spider to backflip off it, miraculously sticking up the wall. Next, I tried quickly drawing Gungnir, but I paused, noticing the glint in my opponent's eyes.

This time he let his actions speak for him, raising his gauntlets and spewing out dual rivers of his golden acid on the shipping container above. In horror, I watched the venomous substance eat away at the rusted metal, realizing his venomous plan. The next thing I know, I'm backflipping from 4 tons of falling metal. The sheer shockwave from it made me instantly lose balance. Between the uneven ground and my wounds, I embarrassingly fell 10 feet up, directly on my grazed shoulder.

Seething pain darkened my entire vision, leaving me as nothing more than an invalid as I saw Arachne dive down, ready to claim my life. Yet, I didn't feel any sense of danger or fear like before. Because when I fell, I also saw "him" approaching as fast as possible. If I were to tell you James' most dangerous quality, it wouldn't be his accuracy, resourcefulness, or even armor. Those were merely got talent and fancy gear. The real fear was the one talent he developed through backbreaking work: his strength.

I almost felt sorry for Arachne, as in one punch, he felt the force of a sledgehammer coming at the speed of a baseball. The fight was over from there as Arachne skidded across the floor like a ragdoll. Ironically though, James was the one that yelped in pain.

"Ouch, I didn't set that punch right at all," he said casually while holding his fist.

"Trust me, James, it was perfect," I said while struggling to stand up.

Once we got our bearings up, we engaged a barely twitching Arachne. Not wanting another chance, I used my glue bombs to secure each limb, splaying his body like a frog on the dissection table. Even with my battered frame, I took the lead, pressing my boot to his neck while saying.

"Don't know if you know this, but I'm a licensed medical practitioner, so I can make your night far more painful. Unless you answer every question we have on Stan," I said with soul-chilling eyes.

His response, though, was far more dread-inducing. Amidst broken bones and pools of blood, the mad spider let out a small giggle. Which later erupted into a full-blown howl that cut into the both of us.

"Stan, Stan, Stan, do you still think the fat fuck is as deep as this goes? Do you still think that I answer only to him? Do you still think that Stan's as deep as it goes? God, if that's the case, you have no idea what's coming, the enemies you've made, the gears you've turned."

"Who are you talking about? Who do you work for," I said while pressing the foot down harder.

Arachne only gave a gurgled cough, continuing his speech.

"Titan's days are numbered, and like your namesake, we will take your place as rulers. Don't worry, though, for when you fall just now, I'll be waiting in hell for you," he said spitefully.

The gold veins in Arachne's suit started to glow violently before erupting into a full-blown explosion.