Arthur looked around at the blue glow of the moss-covered torches that illuminated the street outside Apocalypse Assortments.
The colored lights reminded him of a festival, especially when combined with the smell of sizzling meats and the sounds of footsteps. He leaned back in his chair, claws tapping carefully against the tabletop as he watched people move in and out of Apocalypse Assortments, all under the gaze of Mike’s security team.
Most arrived with things to sell, but others were happily chatting away about their dinner orders or asking around about the chances of getting a seat. He didn’t envy those in the last camp. None of the tables had an empty spot. Lucy, and two others he didn’t know the names of, raced between them.
His eyebrows rose as he watched plates of food and collections of drinks balanced on trays. Each of the servers needed two hands to carry it all, though to their credit, none so much as spilled a drop.
“When did we get trays?” He wondered, before a ruckus of laughter caught his attention.
Davey and a group of the crafters Rab had brought sat at a table ladened with enough meat to feed an army. From the way they all looked at Davey, whatever issues they’d had with him on arrival were long gone. Arthur wondered if that had to do with the bath and the meal. He’d paid for both as a show of generosity and an example of what working for him could be like.
From the food and the grins, they seemed happy enough to take him up on both.
Once satisfied that nothing needed his attention, he turned back to his own table. It was sitting off to the side, closer to the alley than was strictly necessary, but it gave them privacy. With Jemima, Augustus, and Theobold joining him, it turned out to be Billy and Mike who were keeping people away.
His orders had been clear. Unless it was an emergency, they weren’t to be disturbed.
A pang of regret filled him as he looked at Rab and Captain Swordsman, discussing weapon choices. He’d hoped that more members of The Assembly or Alyssa could make it; however, neither elected to attend.
In the former case, it was because of an outbreak of Dogclops and other monsters in the western districts. They’d only been able to spare Captain Swordsman, thanks to Lady Pigonette, without needing to fight off any fliers.
Alyssa couldn’t come, as The Council needed to focus on who would replace Hulvin. This kept her trapped, and most of the knights were facing their own issues against waves of the weak monsters. The Explorer, who was flirting shamelessly with Jemima, mentioned they were facing Lerna and the other Pit Fiends as well.
That left him with six companions, which he hoped would do. Once he felt like they’d had enough time to eat and chat, he clinked a spoon against a glass. When everyone’s eyes turned on him, Arthur coughed to clear his throat.
“If everyone is finished, shall we discuss strategy?”
Captain Swordsman nodded first. “Yes. All I know is you need to go into The Pit, which I believe isn’t in my team’s purview.”
“Normally, no.” Arthur agreed. “However, things have changed. Let me explain about a dragon called Rathnil.”
For the next ten minutes, he did his best to summarize everything he could about the dragon. He needed to either kill the monster or get a confession because of a meeting he had with a dragon security officer. The fact that he was creating the lesser monsters everyone was facing. To the last, and most important, explanation of why it was even his problem.
He could tell from their expressions, or in Captain Swordsman’s case, body language, that they didn’t fully understand. He didn’t blame them. A lot of this was office politics stuff, which was always a nightmare to wrap your head around from the outside.
Jemima was the first to speak up once he was done. Her eyes narrowed.
“So let me get this straight. A dragon tasked you with hunting down Rathnil because he has information this Indigo guy needs. Though he also doesn’t care if you kill him for whatever reason.”
Arthur nodded. “Yes.”
“Then why not just trap him in a summoning circle somewhere and let the guy come to you? Or go there and trap him in one once you arrive?” She asked.
“Two reasons,” Arthur said as he looked over the group. “One, I’m pretty sure if Indigo could simply get over here and do it, he would. No point using me if he doesn’t need to. Two, I want to know what he’s doing, and he’s made it clear he won’t say unless we go to him. Whatever he’s cooking up in The Pit is getting more dangerous.”
“True,” Captain Swordsman said.
Arthur smiled at the support. “We’ve had more calls, and you heard about The Knights. Even if we can simply dismiss Rathnil, someone needs to check on what’s happening down there.”
“Fine.” Jemima shrugged. “So, what else do we need to discuss?”
“Well, we have our resident expert on The Pit with us. Tell us, Rab, what should we be expecting from The Pit?”
“Monsters, traps, and horrors,” the larger knight answered as though he’d rehearsed it. “Most of what I know we should avoid, which is good. If you’re looking for simple rules to follow, then listen well. Don’t split up, touch nothing that glows, and don’t press any buttons. Follow that, and we should be fine.”
“Is there anything more specific?” Theobold asked, his tone awed.
Rab shook his head. “It’s different every time. Stick with me, Knight Theobold, and you’ll be fine.”
For the next fifteen minutes, Arthur and the rest quizzed the knight. While he couldn’t give specifics, he could tell stories of his own exploits on crusades. He told stories of being ambushed by Lerna and Slagsouls and people trying to use the technology found only to get electrocuted or to summon more dangers.
In each, most didn’t make it back out.
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By the time Arthur lay down on the couch, he was glad that he would head to The Mall. He didn’t want to deal with the potential nightmares.
***
The next morning was a blur of activity.
Arthur got up and hurried out of the room almost as soon as he’d finished his shopping trip. Red and Marble had turned out to be the most reasonable of the shopkeepers he’d needed to deal with. The grey dragon was happy to offer him a large discount because of his help in discovering the counterfeits, much to Red’s protests.
On their own, the two dragonesses filled out most of his list, leaving him to find some specialized rounds for Jemima’s handgun. They weren’t something she’d asked for, but he’d figured they couldn’t hurt. That part turned out to be a nightmare. Almost every store he went to tried to price-gouge him.
At the last store, Jim’s Ammunition, he’d gotten into such an argument they’d called security. Still, he’d got a box containing a half-dozen explosive rounds for two hundred golden pennies. A bargain, considering he’d been trying to flog them for eight hundred.
His other difficult purchase was the anti-radiation gear. Most stores that had it overcharged, and the rest had nothing worth buying. Arthur was about to give up when he found a small store with mushroom cloud decals in the window.
Inside, he found a collection of small pills designed to ward off radiation. While good, a quick read of the instructions told him they wouldn’t be perfect. Each pill would ward off a set amount and last twenty-four hours.
The time limit was something he could deal with, but without knowing how much radiation they were going to be exposed to, he found himself worried. Still, he bought them because something was better than nothing.
Besides, they were at least reasonably priced, and they said a general sense of illness would prelude the effect of being totally broken. Which, Arthur figured, was a better warning sign than none.
After a quick bath and a check of his suit, he moved inside to grab a new cane from the box. This was something he’d picked up on a whim, and he couldn’t help but love it. The designer had created the entire thing using a strong, thin metal with a plain, curved handle. It was simple, but when he’d swung it, he could hear the thrum in the air.
The green dragon who’d sold it to him let him know they’d designed it for people with high strength levels. A fact he appreciated immensely. Even if he ended up needing to drop almost one thousand golden pennies on it.
By the time he’d finished his shopping, he only had about five hundred golden pennies left. It hurt, but he knew he’d get it all back in time. Besides, making sure his people stayed alive was more important.
Augustus was the first to join him in the store, emerging through the front door with a squeak and a wave. His chief of security looked well rested and ready to go, which Arthur appreciated. This was already going to be a long day.
“I have some things for you,” he said, and Augustus approached the counter with a slightly quicker step.
The first thing Arthur pulled out was the rat mutant’s new armor. It looked similar to what the knights would wear, though it was made with a heavy alloy with a name he didn’t know how to pronounce. Red had mumbled something about it being annoying to work with, but she had thrown in a paint job.
He looked at that as he helped Augustus clip it all on. Most of it was a dark gray metal with golden trim around the various joints and ridges. In the middle of the breastplate, Marble had emblazoned the store’s logo of the gray rat.
Augustus squeaked in approval as he moved about the store, trying to get used to the armor’s weight. Arthur had expected it to clank, but even the plates that rubbed together made only a tiny amount of noise. A fact he knew would please Rab.
With the armor tested, Augustus returned to the counter, where he picked up his new weapon. The spiked club was heavy and made of the same grey metal. Spike ran down the entire thing, even spreading out around the handle like a makeshift knuckle duster.
“Don’t test this inside,” Arthur warned him before he handed over the weapon.
He got a squeak in response, and the newly armored rat mutated and stomped outside even as Jemima and Theobold wandered in.
“Was that Augustus?” Jemima asked as he eyed the destruction of a nearby streetlamp.
“Yes. I have presents for you two as well.” He laughed at the obvious looks of excitement. “Theobold, you first.”
“Sure, boss.”
Like the one he’d give to Augustus, Theobold’s armor was designed to replicate the style of the knights. He seemed happy enough with it, not needing the same help that Augustus did for his set. When he finished, he nodded.
“Thank you.”
“No problem,” Arthur said before he pushed a box of rounds and a set of leather armor towards Jemima.
Upon seeing the armor, she looked at him and folded her arms across her chest. He did his best not to break under her glare until she eventually sighed.
“Really?”
“What?” he asked, trying to sound innocent.
“Crocodile leather?”
“Off-world crocodile leather,” he replied as he gestured to the bundle on the counter. “Marble’s idea. She said it would do a good job of deflecting most creatures that tried to bite you.”
“Still not funny,” Jemima grumbled even as she tugged it on.
Once everyone finished equipping themselves with the new gear, Arthur made sure Adam was going to be all right with everything. Before he left, he turned to Jemima, Theobold, and a recently returned Augustus, who was almost cradling his bat in his arms.
“Before we meet the others, are you sure you all want to do this? Right now is going to be your last chance to back out.”
“I’m going.” Theobold saluted before banging a hand against his chest plate, which bore the store’s logo once again. “As a knight, it’s my duty.”
“Count me in, boss. I need a chance to test out this new gun,” Jemima said as she toyed with her gun.
Augustus squeaked. It was a simple sound, but Arthur got the message. There was no chance he’d allow himself to be left behind.
“Alright then,” Arthur said as he moved towards the door. “Let’s get started.”
***
Rab and Captain Swordsman stood next to the entrance to the alleyway, both looking rested and ready. Though it was harder to tell with the superhero thanks to his costume. When Rab caught sight of Theobold, he smiled and moved forward to clap a hand on the younger mutant’s shoulder.
“You wear it well. Your mother would be proud.”
“Thank you,” Theobold whispered as he stood a little straighter.
Captain Swordsman stepped forward then. “Are we waiting for anyone?”
“No. I’m here.”
Arthur didn’t jump; instead, he simply turned to see The Explorer standing behind him. The man smiled and nodded towards Jemima, who looked away with a smirk. He decided he didn’t want to know, and instead Arthur clapped his hands.
“Right. So we know the plan. Jemima will lead us to where she found her entrance, and then Rab will take point from there. We don’t want to get into any fights we don’t have to. In and out, any questions?”
Everyone shook their heads, and he smiled.
“Ok, let’s get going.”
With that said, Jemima pulled open the entrance to the sewer, and the group piled inside. As Arthur waited for the last member to climb down after him, he stared around. It hadn’t changed, a fact he appreciated, though he wondered if this might be the last time he needed to come down here.
It was during his musing that he caught the slight movement, and he hissed out a warning. “Slagsoul.”
Everyone froze, The Explorer dropping the last few feet and grabbing for his whip. Arthur kept his eyes trained on the corner where he’d seen the flash of green as he raised his cane. The ambush here didn’t surprise him. He knew his luck, but he didn’t have to like it.
What turned the corner made him freeze, a goo-based humanoid shambling toward them with a hand outstretched. Before Jemima could draw her gun to shoot at it, Arthur stopped her as he listened to the single word the creature spoke in an eerily familiar voice.
“Wait!”