Spider-Verse: Inheritance [IC]

Demon Shinobi

Aspiring Demonic Mafia Ninja Pirate Dragon God
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Generally, it's what I feel more in the mood for.
David [ ] Spider-Man
New York City [ ] Earth - 784
September 17, 2023 [ ] 6:47 AM

Mentions: @EmperorsChosen @Mr.Scales ⚖ @thempress @Daz @Eon @chaosheart13 @Huntress

David groaned as he sat up. He was in a makeshift cot that had served as his bed for the past few days. He had healed completely by now, but could practically still feel everything from when he'd taken his last beating. That woman, that crazy... he sighed and rolled out of bed. He was in an abandoned building, which evidently wasn't an uncommon living space on this world. This world. David still didn't really believe that he was on another Earth, but after a month of trying to figure things out, it was the only logical conclusion. It didn't help that he was worried each day that he'd be found by one of the so called Inheritors that the bitch said would be hunting him and "his kind."

He was a totem; that's what she said he was. He didn't have any reason to really believe her, but why else would she go through all this trouble if there weren't at least some merit to the notion. He grumbled as he threw on some clothes he'd managed to get either by swiping a few things here and there. In truth he hated the idea of stealing, especially when things were already so bad, but given the state of the world and what he'd learned by talking to people and reading old newspapers and other things like that, his only other options would have been try and work or beg. Either way, he wasn't getting much with his suit, battered though it was, it was still a little too close to the Spider-Man of this world who'd disappeared with so many others. He threw some of the other clothes he'd gotten and a few provisions in a bag with his costume. If he really was going to be hunted, staying in the same place wasn't a good idea.

David took a deep breath. It was about time to go on the offensive anyway. They might not know where or when the Inheritors might strike, but he could try and build up a team to combat them. There was somebody called Spider-Byte. He needed to meet them, figure out if they could help him. If not, he'd have to climb up the latter a bit. The Hulk, Bruce Banner, led his own faction here in New York. He had to be able to help if this Spider-Byte couldn't. He just had to figure out a way to find them. He didn't have enough information about the territories of New York right now. If all else failed, he could always just go out as Spider-Man. That was sure to draw a bit of attention; the issue of drawing too much attention would just have to take a back seat in the event that he had to go out in costume.

Luckily, he'd managed to avoid trouble for a bit. Lying low helped. At least he had a better chance of fighting back now. Especially with the little help he did have. Course, he'd have to meet up with everyone he'd managed to meet already. There was a small news stand a few blocks from where he'd been staying. That was the designated meeting area. Staying together in one place was too dangerous right now. Especially when he hadn't been 100% when they'd first met. He just hoped there were no unforeseen surprises today. Not when he was finally starting to get things together.

As he walked for a bit, he couldn't help, but grimace as he looked around. This New York was a shell of its former self. That was tough to think about. He didn't even like New York, but he couldn't imagine the one back home turning into something like this. He could only hope that he would never have to worry about this happening back home. If he could help it, he'd make sure nobody he cared for ever had to deal with something like this. At least, he would if he ever made it back home. God... What if he didn't make it back? His mother wouldn't even know what had happened to him. He shook the thoughts from his mind. No, he was making it back. No matter what.

"I hope I'm not the last one there," he said aloud, mostly to himself, breaking the silence he'd imposed upon himself. He'd never spoken to himself before as much as he was on this world. Maybe it was cause he always had Jay in his ear, or a bad guy to banter with. Fuck he missed when it was all that simple. Just a not-so-friendly neighborhood Spider-Man for the scumbuckets of Jersey to worry about while the real Spider-Man handled things in the city. Never did he think he'd actually miss that bastard Jack O'Lantern. Hell, I'd even settle for that piece of shit Shocker right about now if it meant I'd be back home. Even so, David would have to take things one step at a time for now. And that meant getting to the news stand, where the others would hopefully be waiting for him or arriving shortly after.
 
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"Ah, grocery shopping, just like scavenging for herbs here," Jessica murmured as she stuffed a backpack with some more food and drinks to hold her up for a time. She had already collected several backpacks full of the stuff, all wrapped with webbing so she could pull them to her at a moment's notice. Really, such a thing was a necessity in a strange world and she might as well survive, right? She kept her suit on as she did this, feeling the light material stretch with each movement. She didn't particularly care if she was caught, she could escape. Still, it'd be best to be careful, right? With a huff, her breath making the mouth area of her suit wet, she dumped the last of the foodstuff into the last bag and immediately used her web to grab the rest of the bags. She fashioned a rope to weave them across her back before darting out, still as nimble as ever. Next stop, the news stand, and hopefully people wouldn't mind if she brought goods for everyone.

Flying past buildings with grave and a heavy back, she swung through the empty world while thinking about the allies she made. So many spiders...and what was a totem? She didn't understand that...but perhaps her mother was on spider totem too. If that were the case, then she'd be in trouble along with all other totems out there. It was...really bad to think about, made her queasy, so she'd rather not. Interestingly, there was...a Goblin. But...well, she didn't fully trust him but she had no reason to completely hate him yet. He just seemed to hate other spiders...for whatever reason. She hadn't a clue. Still, so far they needed to work together and no one had earned her ire yet...god she hoped no one made her mad, she'd just rebel badly. She recognized that flaw, but her grudges held and she couldn't think clearly with a grudge. So, better to not have anyone make her mad, otherwise she wouldn't be able to think of a way out. She kept muttering under her breath as she thought out loud, swinging and diving and feeling the air rush past her. They all knew her as Ira Aranea, just Ira for short, because she sure as hell wasn't going to give her real name to anyone, especially with the Goblin, but they were still...somewhat cordial. Tense, yes, but somewhat cordial. They were okay to be blunt. She just knew that in order to survive, she needed to team up with these people or never see her mother again. And her mother, honestly, needed all the help she could get in that old city.

With that, her thoughts cut short when she spotted the news stand. She flipped once in the air before landing on her feet, the weight of the backpacks causing her to wobble before keeling over. She swore out loud at the ungracefulness of that action before pushing herself off the ground, undoing the webbing strapped onto her back to dump the backpacks full of food and drink. With a pause, she immediately went to behind the newsstand and sent up the backpacks in a way that it seemed like she was selling them. Once that was done, she folded her hands onto the countertop and just watched, waiting for whoever was gonna show up.
 
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Portia-07 ~ Kali

New York City ~ Earth - 784

September 17, 2023 ~ Morning

Mentions:
@Huntress @chaosheart13



The dilapidated city of New York was far different than the one known. While certain parts were certainly less marvelous than others, the current incarnation seemed empty in a way. There were still people on this Earth; it wasn't a wasteland. However the bustling metropolis once plastered on greeting cards had been reduced to a shell of its former glory. Many of the once cramped and crowded structures were completely abandoned, home only to dust, ruin and perhaps some fauna that had wandered in. Mother Nature, too, had seemingly long overtaken Man's work and claimed it as her own as the vegetation had overgrown the concrete walls and streets of much of the city. Its population, or what was left of it, lived secluded amongst factions, leaving the local wildlife almost exclusive claim to the city.

Looking down at her quarry, a cloaked figure stared at a deceased doe, a knife lodged in the creature's skull. The figure didn't appear bothered by the corpse, gripping the handle of the blade and removing it in a swift and forceful motion. Proceeding to hoist the cadaver onto their back, the person proceeded to lower themselves slightly before pushing off the ground, shooting upward and landing on the roof of the building adjacent. Jogging across it, the figure would again lower themselves slightly as they reached the end of their surface before launching themself forward, utilizing the building of the city as mere jumping platforms.

Eventually, the figure would latch onto the side of a tenement building's fire escape before pulling herself onto it and subsequently entering one of the rooms via the closest available window. Entering the residency, the doe would be laid onto the counter of the kitchen. Pausing, the figure would stare out the window, seemingly focused on something, or looking for something to focus on perhaps. There wasn't much of note. Someone entering a newsstand far down the street. The costume was—No, it was too far away for even the Kali's vision to be completely clear. Likely it was just a local hoodlum. There were many of them now, far more than in the other New York. Regardless, considering the distance and the fact they had stopped at that location, she didn't presume them to be an immediate threat, or looking to be one.

"No followers this time... I think," Kali commented aloud, her voice and sigh slightly muffled by the large black half-mask she wore.

The good thing about this New York was that it was far easier to tell if you were being trailed. Then again, that didn't stop her from being ambushed, or from stumbling in on one. She still wasn't sure why she was even here; something about a hunt, and sure enough, the hunters had made themselves apparent. Kali at first didn't think much of the threats, however her first attempt at turning the hunter into the hunted had done little more than make her presence apparent and get her attacked a following time. They were threats, threats that Kali wasn't confident enough to defeat easily. It was for that reason that despite her mentality and past experiences, she possessed a companion now. She still wasn't sure what to make of the woman, or if she could even be trusted. However, they both currently had a mutual threat, one that they couldn't best alone currently. That was enough for the necessity of survival to outweigh her wariness.
 
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Streaks of colour illuminated the wall of an otherwise dingy room. Sick of seeing grey upon grey with a hint of grey, Orion had decided to paint a mural in the abandoned apartment he currently called "home". This apartment wasn't his real home of course - the mural showed where that was - it was merely a temporary residence while Orion figured out how to escape this alternate reality. In all likelihood Orion would have to abandon this apartment soon: even without supernatural entities hunting him down, this version of New York was brimming with danger. Like the rest of New York, this mural was doomed to be abandoned. Not that it mattered: the painting wasn't so much for the sake of brightening the room as it was giving Orion something to do. Actually, there was something else he was meant to be doing now that he thought about it. Orion had arranged to meet with the other "totems" (Orion still wasn't sure what that meant) to discuss their situation. That could wait until he'd finished up this section though...

About an hour later, Orion tiptoed out of his apartment. Glancing about to make sure nobody was watching him, Orion slipped into an abandoned alleyway, where he hurriedly changed into his super suit. For all this Earth's differences it seemed the sneaking around like a bashful teenager around their crush was the same as ever. The thought that even in all this chaos some things were constant reassured Orion, as he manifested his spider claws. Who knew spiders could have claws? Orion sure as fuck didn't before he'd been bitten by one. Now he was something of an expert on the burrowing capabilities of spiders though, having studied them extensively to better understand his own abilities. After checking - and ripping - a map of the local area, Orion began burrowing underground. The layout of this New York was another factor which was roughly the same between universes, meaning it wouldn't be too hard to Orion to navigate his way to the meet-up point. With any luck he'd arrive at the same time as the other totems.
 
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Location: Temporary Home Base - New York, NY
Mentions: N/A
Interactions: Portia-07 / Kali - @EmperorsChosen


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It had all been so sudden, just out of nowhere. She had been walking home from work and then thrown into darkness, only to emerge in a dilapidated New York City that was crumbling as she stood there, dumbfounded and confused as all hell.
That had been a month or so ago, in that time she had ran for her life on several occasions and had even fought for her life. Laila didn’t like conflict but when left with no other choice, one had to do what they needed to survive. This city had been weird and eerie, almost like a post apocalyptic New York from some movie. It was so rare that she saw another person and usually when she did, they would try to rob her or kill her. Not a single friendly soul had crossed her path, so when someone had saved her life from a surprisingly competent and worthy foe, she had to find who that had been. Luckily, she succeeded in her search, thanks to her inhuman gifts. Thus, landing herself an odd survival partner by the name of Kali. A superpowered individual with some extra appendages and not many words to share but plenty of interesting looks.

Laila had heard rumors of others roaming about and she had even seen a few of them too. An array of ‘spider-men’ and women that swung around the city on occasion. I guess they're Spider-people? She would always ask herself as she wasn't quite sure if there was a preferred term. Not having spoken to any of them really. Laila had been trying her best to convince Kali to join the group that the others seemed to be forming, but the woman seemed hesitant or was perhaps being cautious with who she trusted. Their odd little partnership had come from a trade off of saving each other.

Currently the two resided in an old apartment complex in some New York neighbourhood that Laila wasn't too sure she could accurately name. The way streets, signs and buildings were damaged or overgrown made it difficult to tell. Thankfully this building still had fairly clean running water and the power worked in half of the unit. She had been washing her face when she heard the subtle clank against metal. Raising her head, she sniffed the air, a shimmer of reddish orange flashing in contrast against normally blue-grey irises. The familiar scent was accompanied by that of blood, her stomach growling in hunger. Wiping her face dry with a torn-up towel she stepped out of the bathroom and reached for the button up flannel shirt that consisted of blacks and greys. Sliding her left arm through the sleeve she put it on and started with the bottom button. Her attention was on the task at hand, doing a double take of Kali standing still and staring out the window, Laila was quick to return to her buttons. "Good to know." Laila smiled slightly and looked back up at the other. "I would like to avoid conflict as much as possible." She spoke simply as she finished up with the buttons of her shirt. "So, what do you wanna do with this?" She asked about the doe carcass that was sprawled across the kitchen counter. Thankfully the fridge still had power, if they decided to chop it up, they might've been able to store some of it. Laila's stomach growled again as she looked at the animal, her throat growing dry, swallowing back she cleared her throat and looked away with a subtle scoff, placing her hands on her hips she took a deep breath and looked back at Kali.


 
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Naunet
Earth-487
September 17th, 2023 - Morning
Interaction: Jessica
@chaosheart13

Heading into the city, Naunet hoped that a new approach to her quest for information would prove more fruitful than her efforts thus far. This world's 'internet' should have been any scientist's fondest dream, better than Wardenclyffe World Radio and Buckminster Fuller's World-Around Information Grid put together. The knowledge of all (their world's) humanity at their fingertips...and people here used it to transmit films of cats and say rude things to one another. Despite their 'internet's' awe-inspiring computational-algorithmic information-search capability, Naunet had not been able to learn anything useful about the 'Inheritors.' There were Extranormals here, but the good ones seemed to have their hands full trying to hold their world together. If it is only me they are hunting, it would be wrong to draw anyone here into the path of my enemies, she thought.

Naunet had morphed herself into her favorite human form, wearing a sleek cream white flapper-style dress with a modest Egyptian Revival diadem and matching bracelets. She had considered adopting the styles the local women wore despite finding them rather bereft of aesthetic merit, but decided it would be better to let her Russian accent present her as a foreigner, than get some important nuance of semiotics wrong and be spotted as an imposter. She got weird looks, but then that tended to happen even when she blended perfectly. Where she was going, hopefully a little peculiarity would not be a problem. Addresses of occult shops and bookstores within walking distance remained crystal clear in her mind.

A swish of motion up ahead, crossing the street, but not by walking. A Spider. A predominantly black and yellow skin-tight suit clinging to a slender female form, with a hood that fluttered as she swung. Naunet considered taking a different route to increase her odds of avoiding an accidental encounter. She'd stayed clear of this world's heroes, and made even more effort to avoid crossing paths with its villains. She could be a hero here, Naunet reminded herself. Then a thought struck: Could she be in danger? The Inheritor called me a 'Totem'... She could remember the ancient idol of Anansi as clearly as if it stood in front of her, on that horrible day Peter tried to steal the power of the spider-god's shamans.

Fighting down trepidation, Naunet quickened her steps. She reached the corner and turned, steering clear of the strand of webbing the girl had left behind in her flight, shying away from it as it wafted toward her in the breeze. It was not terribly hard to follow the girl's course as long as she reached each cobweb before it dissolved. There. Setting up shop at a roadside newsstand. Naunet hesitated for a moment, then willed herself to proceed. As soon as the girl noticed her, Naunet held her hands out in front of her, palms forward to show she had no weapons. That wasn't exactly true, but as long as the Spider didn't attack her... She lowered her eyes to avoid the gaze of the girl's mask.


"I mean you no harm," she said in a soft, eerily melodious Russian accent. "There is a powerful danger that has come to this world. They hunt me, but may also hunt you, if they should consider you to be a 'Totem.' If you gained your powers from a Shaman of Anansi, I fear this may be so."
 
Sebastian stretched out languidly, his long, forked tongue flicking out from between his inhuman, bestial fangs as his claws raked the ground in front of him, leaving thin lines scratched in the concrete of the roof. He pushed himself out to his fullest extent, groaning as his bones and joints and bones cracked and creaked with exhaustion. He'd been fighting the wall-crawler again. He was bruised in places he wasn't even aware he had, and he’d definitely broken something based off the sound his body made when he stretched, which he’d never heard before. His armor, and the carefully woven cloth costuming he wore over it, were in tatters. It would be easier to simply make something new than to repair them, in their current state. Though... his right gauntlet was in decent enough condition, it seemed. Low on charge, but still too useful for him to throw it away in good conscience yet. He took off the ruined bits and pieces of his armor and folded them up into a single, vaguely messy square before tearing a baseball sized chunk out of the roof and setting it on top of his tattered armor to keep the wind from blowing it away. He’d be back for it before anyone else had a chance to take it.


Right now, Sebastian was a 7 foot tall rust-colored monster with sharp fangs and razor claws in an unfamiliar, overgrown new york. He was a savage, bulletproof mass of muscle, thick fur, and claws. And he was hungry. Scrambling down the fire escape with all the grace of the wounded predator he was, he began to hunt. Sniffing at the air and lowering one ear to the ground, he kept his profile as low as he could, keeping to the dark wherever possible as he began his search along the ground, scouring the nearby overgrown buildings for prey.


And he found it. The scent of it filled his nostrils and made his mouth water, his empty gullet rumble and his tongue dart out from between his lips. Claws flashed as Sebastian sprung out from around the corner to wrap his hands around a can of Spagheti-Os covered in cobwebs, which he mercilessly slit open to drink the thick red insides.


His hunger sated, he could answer the big questions. Where was he? His gut instinct had told him he was in the future, but that couldn’t be right. Too much didn’t add up. The city was too quiet. Even if his fellow heroes lost their lives all at once, there’d be somebody out keeping the plants from growing over the buildings. Unless…


It wasn’t his future.


Norman had been experimenting with the idea of making contact with parallel universes before he’d died. Could he have been yanked through to some abandoned New York on some other earth? It would explain why all these Spagheti-Os were called “Pasta Shapes” and why so many of them were square.


Sebsatian finished his food. This being another earth made sense. It explained why the air smelt so..off. Perhaps there’d be answers if he searched the city? This world had buildings, skycrapers, and spagheti, it must have had some sort of history or populace at some point.


That’d been some time ago. He’d found a few handfuls of other people, scared and hungry and hurting, not too different from how he was. He’d found his glider near to where he woke up, low on fuel and completely out of ammo for its main gun. He’d also found a spider. Not some itsy-bits thing climbing up water spouts, but a fully-fledged adult with the full assortment of spider powers. Sebastian was in no shape for that fight, so he’d been steering clear as he could. Their meeting had been...terse, to put it politely. He already had a spider-person back home, he didn’t need to put up with any more of them. For now, he’d begun setting up a small camp of his own on a nearby building so he could keep an eye on the growing nest of spiders. More of them were coming by the day.


They must have been plotting something. He’d watch and wait and try to figure out some sort of plan. Sebastian was head and shoulders above his own earth’s spiderman in a lot of ways, but his raw advantages in speed, strength, and durability had never been enough to overcome the spider’s preternatural grace and agility. One spider-man was enough of a menace to deal with, but Sebastian knew he wouldn’t stand a chance against this many of them without a damn good plan.


So for now, he watched and waited, trying to avoid contact with the group where he could. That seemed easy enough, most of the spiders seemed to have goblins on their world, and were similarly suspicious of him.
 
Portia-07 ~ Kali

New York City ~ Earth - 784

September 17, 2023 ~ Morning

Mentions:
@Huntress



The hooded Kali continued to stare outside the window, her eyes narrowing in focus in the distance. Another individual had appeared and approached the news stand, though this one didn't appear to have a sort of costume like the first did. One person in a costume was somewhat suspicious, though not too large of a threat. A congregation in this world; that was worrisome. While bustling in her own world, this New York was rather quiet and whatever inhabitants remained kept to themselves.

Blinking, her companion's voice took her focus away from the individuals down the street. Looking over to Laila briefly, then to the carcass, Kali gave on more glance into the window before stepping back. Moving over to the doe, Kali brought her knives back out and began to butcher the animal with it. Her arms extended out from her back to hold and brace the deer as two cut at its flesh with the knife.

"Food isn't growing more difficult to acquire... Activity appears to be growing however," Kali mentioned, cutting the venison from the deer's corpse. "Two individuals entered the news stand down the street... One looked to have some kind of costume, though I'm not entirely sure."

Laila had brought up the rumor of the spider-people, or totems as the Inheritors had called them, though thus far Kali had not entertained the idea of meeting them. It might would give them an advantage in numbers, however a larger group would also make for a larger target and an easier time of tracking. Aside from that, even if they weren't her Spider-man, Kali made decisions based off her experiences... and thus far her experience with Spider-men had been as an enemy and an untrustworthy ally. Laila was an exception of circumstance, from which bore experience with her that allowed the portia to gauge that she was far more trustworthy. The woman had no need to seek her out and aid her after their first encounter, yet she did so anyway. Even if that was only to feel safe through numbers and companionship, there wasn't anything stopping her from leaving to go join the Totems' group, yet she remained here.

The situation was somewhat similar to a past one, though in this case their relationship is far more symbiotic. That, and Kali doubted that Laila had SHIELD ready to pounce in this Earth.

"I don't know if their group is growing or if they're simply growing more active..." Kali mused, setting the knives down on the counter. They now just needed to cook the meat.

Looking over at the stove, Kali stared at it blankly. The building still had power somewhat, though the issue in this case was the woman's own familiarity, or lackthereof. She had learned many things, cooking with a stove or oven was not one of them.
 
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David [ ] Spider-Man
New York City [ ] Earth - 784
September 17, 2023 [ ] 7:00 AM

Interactions: @Zarko Straadi @chaosheart13
Mentions: @Eon @Daz

By the time David arrived at the news stand there were two people there. One was in full costume, understandable but still not the brightest idea given the spiders were being hunted, and another seemingly normal woman. His first instinct would have been to shoo her away to keep her safe,but having heard the tail end of what she was saying caught his attention. She knew about Totems. There was something about her though. His spider-sense was poking at him from the back of his mind. He looked her up and down. It wasn't a dangerous kind of ping. He didn't think he should be wary of her, but this could pose a problem down the line if he didn't get used to it.

"Hey," he finally spoke up, primarily to the girl in the Spider costume, "I'm not sure wearing your costume is such a good idea out here. It's more likely to draw attention than anything else." David couldn't help but try to warn her. She wouldn't have to give up her identity, he was sure they could come up with something to hide important feature, but in the end he couldn't force her to do anything. "I'm David, by the way," he introduced himself holding out his hand to Naunet. He'd already introduced himself to Jessica (though he had no luck in getting a name from her), which would have bothered him more if he wasn't on another Earth. Good thing was, there was no way of telling if he was being honest or giving a fake name.

"I gotta be honest, I was hoping more would show up of the few I've run into in the past month," he sighed, shifting his attention to the girl in the Black and Red Spider suit, though he was unaware that there was still someone on the way. He'd even have accepted the goblin given how short they were on man power. Even if he wasn't sure the guy could be trusted. This is gonna be tougher than I thought. Even with help, I have no idea how much I can trust anyone who I've met so far. How likely are they to throw me under the bus? And then there was the new woman who kept his spider-sense at a consistent hum. Was it just something to do with her powers? He knew that there was a bit to do with wavelengths and frequencies when it came to that ability, and this happened at times with other spider-people. Spider totems? But this was the first time it was this consistent.

"By the way, you were saying something about totems? Maybe even the Inheritors?" David had to be careful in his wording. if she was dangerous he wouldn't want to set her off. Otherwise, they could be in for a fight. But, he also didn't want to scare her off necessarily. So, maybe she had more info. If she did, it would be good for them to have it as well. Or maybe she was just as in the dark as they were. What were the chances of that? Pretty high, honestly. Never did he think he'd miss having Jay, or anyone else around as much as he did now. All he could think was, 'what would Spider-man do?' or more accurately, 'what would the real Spider-man do?' He was just a brat from Jersey. New York wasn't even his turf. And yet here he was trying to put together some kind of team, Trying to take on some inter-dimensional baddies that he had no business dealing with, AND trying to get people he didn't know to trust him by being as open as he could without giving them too much of himself in the process. All I ever wanted to do was go to college, get a good job, and help moms get a better life. But here he was, unsure if he'd ever even make it back to his mom.


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Interaction: @Mr.Scales ⚖

As Meleona strolled down the catwalk of an old abandoned warehouse she called out in a sing-song voice, glee evident in her tone. "Come out come oooouuut, little spider~" her voice rang out as she tapped along the guard rail looking over each edge of the platform. She wasn't much the hunting type, at least not to the degree here brothers and sister were, when it came to tracking. But that wasn't to say she didn't enjoy going after the spiders just as much as they did. In fact, she relished it even more. She could find many test subjects to toy with if she played her mother's games. Maybe then she and her siblings could even rid the vast multiverse of the wretched things. Yes, what a wonderful playground they would have if they never had to worry about their mother's constant nagging regarding the death of the spiders.

"I know you're heeeeerrreeeee~" Meleona licked her lips as she tore away a section of the guard rail before throwing it like a javelin down to her left. It pierced and ran through a large crate with little trouble, although she was sure she hadn't hit anything given the lack of a cry of pain. "It's only a matter of time before I find yoooouuuu~"
 
Naunet
Earth-487
September 17th, 2023 - Morning

Interactions: Jessica @chaosheart13 , David @Demon Shinobi

The Spider seemed to hesitate, and before she could answer, another voice spoke from behind Naunet: "Hey, I'm not sure wearing your costume is such a good idea out here. It's more likely to draw attention than anything else." Naunet's head snapped to the sound, but thankfully she'd kept herself from making any other reflex motions. A young man, in street clothes that seemed more likely to blend in here than hers. "I'm David, by the way," he said, extending a hand to Naunet.

"I am Naunet," she replied, gingerly taking his hand as she adjusted her position to keep the Spider in her peripheral vision. Curiously, the young man did not introduce himself to the Spider; he seemed neither afraid of her (if she was a villain) nor in awe of her (if she was a hero). 'More?' Naunet wondered in response to his next comment. Suddenly she realized she must have stumbled onto some kind of pre-arranged meetup. Of Spiders? Before she could contemplate that possibility further, David turned his attention back to her.

"By the way, you were saying something about totems? Maybe even the Inheritors?" he said.

"You know of them?" Naunet said with a note of excitement in her voice. Perhaps instead of having to hunt down the information in obscure books and the reluctantly-given words of secretive lore-keepers, she had found it by simply bumping into someone on the street! A scientist's impulse to share information warred with instinctive wariness. They could be 'Inheritors,' for all that I know. 'Solara' was not exactly forthcoming on the distinction...
 
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Location: Temporary Home Base - New York, NY
Mentions: N/A
Interactions: Portia-07 / Kali - @EmperorsChosen


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Kali seemed to keep her attention on the whatever gathering was happening down the street. Laila remaining in the same spot for a moment before moving up closer to her ‘partner’ and looking out the window. Narrowing her gaze, she could barely catch any distant movements as she tried to focus on whatever Kali was focusing on. Perhaps she couldn’t see what was happening, but she could listen. Opening the window ever so slightly Laila focused for a moment. The good thing about being in a desolate New York was that there wasn’t much, if any noise pollution at all, therefore she didn’t have to filter through layers of sounds to get to the voices she wanted.

-hunt you, if they should consider you to be a 'Totem.'-"

The first thunk of a knife against the countertop startled Laila as she shook her head and swallowed back. Taking a deep breath she cleared her throat and stood tall before turning to look back at Kali as she spoke. Upon mentioning that she witnessed two people approach the newstand, Laila raised a brow. Turning around she looked back out the window, arms folded across her chest as she exhaled softly and listened again.

“-I was hoping more would show up of the few I've run into in the past month…"

“I’m not worried so much about finding food in this place, I’m more so worried about those things that are after all of us apparently.”
She spoke calmly before turning around to face Kali. “It seems like these spider-people are trying to form a group, I don’t think they’re doing much activity wise.” Laila sighed and glanced over her shoulder. “I think they’re just trying to figure out why. They all have one thing in common so perhaps they’re trying to find out more information.” Her attention was back on Kali, a small smile coming across Laila’s lips as the woman before her looked utterly confused.

Brushing passed Kali, Laila looked through some of the cupboards before pulling out a frying pan. Placing it on the stovetop she turned one of the burners on and waited while putting the pan down. “I’m not much of a chef…let alone a cook.” She chuckled. “But I think frying the meat is our best option, and probably the fastest.” Laila explained as she waited for the pan to heat up.

Their options with the food were non-existent, they had no spices, not even salt and pepper and they also had nothing else to cook it with. There wasn’t much she could do about that so hopefully the meat itself would hold just enough flavour to keep it from being bland. Laila had chosen to fry up some decently sized thick steaks and she also mixed in some smaller pieces. Her appetite was huge and if Kali didn’t eat much, Laila would make sure that none went to waste. “Okay, almost ready.” She exhaled heavily and turned the burner off.

Laila was quick to start opening cupboards and drawers pulling out chipped and cracked plates, the cutlery surprisingly clean although slightly dull. Placing the food on the plates first she then reached in to grab a couple forks and knives. There was a hiss, Laila growling as she was quick to pull her hand back and shake it. “Damn it…” She muttered. Placing her index finger against her lips she tried to cool it down, an irritated exhale was followed by a roll of her eyes and shake of her head. “I always forget that some of this crap is actual silverware.” Clenching her jaw, she took deep breaths before placing the knives by the plates she had made up. Pulling the entire drawer out she flipped it over and dumped all the cutlery on the counter. Putting the little plastic tray back in she placed the drawer back on its rails before quickly reorganizing everything. She didn’t know how much of the leftover cutlery was silver, it was a little bit of a gamble but Laila chose to go all in on it and actually separate the steel from the silver, which hadn’t been much.

Three forks, two spoons and two knives were placed in a totally different part of the drawer, far away from the rest. Finally grabbing two steel forks she placed them on the plates and brought both over to the dusty dining room table. Sitting by the open window, Laila didn’t hesitate in digging in. “Mine came out a little rare.” She stated as she held up a piece that was red inside. “If yours ended up that way and you’re not a fan, my apologies, but I can cook it a little longer if you’d like.” She spoke simply before shoving her face back into her food.

 
JOAQUIN ALVAREZ
spidersona_1_2_by_curatorexatrum_dcvm9j2-fullview.jpg

WILL O' THE WISP

Joaquin had been laying low since being transported into this new world, he hadn't kept track of how long he had been there, but it felt as if he had been there for months. One thing that the boy learned in his life was adaptability since being passed from a couple of different group homes and generally not fitting it, so having to fend for himself in this new world wasn't so much different. After learning more about this earth, Joaquin had found out the hard way the reason why he was brought to this planet, he was something called a totem and were being hunted some family of some sort.

While the population has been diminishing over the apparent decades, the people in the city were mostly caring people, you could tell everyone had lost someone or another, but many were genuinely kind people. After some time staying low in the shadows, a younger woman took pity on him and got him a job as a convenience clerk, which may have not been his favorite job since he hates talking to people, wasn't really all so bad. There had only been one time where he ran into those hunters, luckily he was able to escape them, only leaving a couple of marks.

Joaquin had found a decent-sized abandoned warehouse just outside of downtown NYC, he was able to at least buy a sleeping bag with the money he had saved with, along with a canteen and a couple of other things to keep him alive at the very least. Joaquin began to wake up from his sleep, unable to even know the time, but it looked as though it was early morning. How does anyone not survive without coffee? The boy sad up, obviously exhausted from the little sleep that he had.

The male sat up and took the canteen from his bag and took a large drink from the tin. I really cannot stand one more day on this pl-. Joaquin's thoughts were suddenly caught off when he felt his skin start to tingle, a feeling he knew to trust. It's one of them again, can't i just get 5 minutes to wake up? Quickly the boy recollected himself and quietly hid behind one of the few crates close to each other.

The boy was bewildered when he began to hear a woman's voice singing, "Come out, come ouuuut little spider~" It looks like the woman had tracked him down to his own location. I really hope shes not going into the music indust- The boy jumped over to his right when his spider-sense went off and heard a loud crash just feet away from him. Okay, I'm going to need a new suit... Joaquin took a couple of breaths while the woman spoke again. "It's only a matter of time before I find yoooouuuu~" The male began to throw ideas around his brain to think of a plan or any way to get out of her without dying.
Shit, think Joaquin, THINK!
 
Naunet
Earth-487
September 17th, 2023 - Morning

Interactions: Jessica @chaosheart13 , David @Demon Shinobi

Awkward silence stretched. Naunet's eyes flicked from one person to the other, but did not linger on either. Could they have Arachnid Eyes? she wondered. After he became the Arachnoid, Peter had once gloated to her, of a psychic ability he had, which gave him precognition of danger, and allowed him to sense her presence, even if he could not see her directly. If one or both of these others had this ability, she would trigger it in them. If there was no one like her in their world--and that seemed most likely, as there was no one like her even in her own world--they would not know what they were sensing, so why would they trust? Naunet's mind had already catalogued several escape routes, so she gathered her resolve to try the Scientist's path of openness.

"I was brought from my world across the bounds of space and time by a mighty being who called herself 'Solara.' She referred to herself as an 'Inheritor,' though what she is destined to inherit I do not know. She said this world was to be the chosen hunting ground of her kind, and 'Totems' such as myself their prey. I know not why she names me thus, for I did not receive my abilities by walking the Shaman's path. Until I saw you," she said, nodding toward Jessica, "I thought it was only me they hunted. This Solara could have killed me, and I could neither escape nor defeat her, so the currents of probability flow toward the others being her offspring or her students, and this hunt as her way of training them.

"I am sorry, that is all I know of Solara and her 'Inheritors.' There was a man on my world who stole the powers of the spider-god Anansi from the bite of his totem animal, a rare spider enchanted by the arts of his Shamans. If either of you is a Shaman of Anansi or gifted powers by their arts, it is my sorrow to say that you may be considered 'Totems,' and thus subject to the Inheritors' malign intent. If they even define 'Totem' in that way and not some other.

"As for me, my extranormal abilities spring from my lineage rather than from any Working of totemic magic. In my extranormal form, I am known on my world as Dr. Octopus..."
 
Portia-07 ~ Kali

New York City ~ Earth - 784

September 17, 2023 ~ Morning

Mentions:
@Huntress



"I agree... However, with our partnership, our chances are somewhat comforting," Kali replied to her understandable worries. "The one's tracing us are novice hunters, and the more we learn with each encounter, the better the chance to eliminate them once and for all."

In Kali's eyes, it came down to a battle of adaptation and analytics for each time they face, a competition she held full confidence in. Then there were the other totems moving about the city, and while Kali knew little of them, they too were working at searching for chinks in the enemy's armor. Truly, it seemed as though these hunters had stretched themselves thin amongst their perceived prey. Still, the woman didn't much care for playing the part of prey, even temporarily. It was rather discomforting.

Staring at Laila, the woman moved passed her and began handling the appliances expertly. As she worked, Kali watched her intently, seemingly eyeing every movement, even twist of a knob or push of a button, as if studying for some kind of upcoming test. As the meat sizzled and Laila moved away to scrounge through the cupboards, the hooded woman stepped closer to the stove to peer into the pan at the food, gazing at it like it would spring to like any moment. However, a sudden hiss grasped her attention.

Turning her gaze to Laila, Kali noted her cursing as she struggled with certain items of the cupboard. She took issue with silverware then. Even a bit odd, Kali's face showed no change expression, silently noting this aversion. Still, it admittedly hadn't been too much of a deterrent as the woman still managed to separate it.

The table was soon set and Laila took a seat by the open window. Kali approached her own seat, pausing before moving to the window as well, staring outside it for a long moment and hesitantly taking her seat on the opposing side, facing the window.

Pulling back the hood of her cloak, Kali brought a hand to grasp the face of her mask. With an audible click from somewhere, the mask popped off with ease and she set it off to the side on the table. Rarely was her face bared so clearly, even showcasing the scar that adorned one side of her face. Her crimson eyes once more gazed out at the window, as if searching, or waiting for something, but again she hesitantly returned to the meal in front of her.

"I only need it to be edible," Kali replied, not having ever been in a position to complain about her food being cooked a certain way, and if her words didn't serve to show exactly what kind of position the woman had been familiar with, her mishandling of the silverware did.

Staring down at the utensils for a few moments, Kali gazed back up at Laila use of her own before glancing back down at her plate. Taking the fork in hand, she plunged it center into the meat before hoisting it up to her mouth and ripping a chunk out with her teeth. Humming slightly, it was indeed edible. Hopefully with watching how Laila worked the appliance she would next time be able to do the same.

Regardless, why would the uniqueness of the meat matter? Furthermore, how could the woman tell? To Kali, the doe it originated from seemed entirely ordinary. Was it a rare species? These pieces of information were unnecessary, but it still caused the woman to wonder.

"How many of the... others do you recall seeing...?" Kali spoke suddenly. "There were three that entered the information booth down the road. However, some I've seen didn't enter... The hunters may be targeting the most frail or alone given their failures thus far."

For all they knew, the ones hunting them may know as little about each of them as the totems did about the Inheritors. If that was the case, they were fortunate. However, there was also a chance they were just lucky with this brief period of peace.
 
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Reactions: Huntress
David [ ] Spider-Man
New York City [ ] Earth - 784
September 17, 2023 [ ] 7:00 AM

Interactions: @Zarko Straadi @chaosheart13

David took a moment to think on what Naunet was saying. Between her and the girl who'd yet to speak, he wasn't sure where to go from here, but the fact of the matter was, her info did line up with what he experienced. Course, it still didn't help the... Fuck... Yeah, another world. And a special being. That would totally make his Spider-Sense go off. But it wasn't quite the same. It wasn't like an imminent threat. It was a low buzz. Nothing like when somebody was coming for his life. His guess was that something about her own biology, or maybe magic, or something else was dangerously close to the wavelength that the spider-sense, at least in most cases, operated on. To be fair, he didn't know much about the sense to make that big of a hypothesis, but at least trying to rationalize it helped him not be as focused on the frustration of it's constant ringing.

Besides, if she'd wanted to attack, why wouldn't she have yet? David looked her up and down. "I have a theory as to what is going on, but I don't have enough information to be so sure. What you've told me helps a bit, for sure, but I'm not sure I can make a definite explanation yet," he sighed and shook his head, bring his hand up to rest on top of it. He scratched for a moment before breathing about an exasperated sigh. "For now, I think a good plan is to try and find someone who can help give us more info about this world than we have now. There's a spider that seems to operate out of a territory not far from here. I don't know what their deal is, but even if they can't help much, it'd be smart to try and gain another ally. Worst case, they don't wanna help, but even then, that's one more person who is aware of Solara and her Inheritors."

David paused as he tried to think of something else, anything else. He looked off into the distance. If Laila or Kali had been looking they might have thought that he knew they were there. But the truth is, he just happened to be looking in that far off direction, spaced out as he tried to plan. "Whatever..." he paused for a moment before looking at the newly found Doctor Octopus, "Naunet, right? We've gotta work out a few things going forward." He was awfully to the point. "I don't know about her," he motioned to Jessica before continuing,

Maybe it was a stupid question, but it was important to at least ask. Sure, maybe she could be an enemy later, but she was a friend now, and he didn't have a lot of options of who to trust. Regardless, the conversation could continue on the move. He began to walk, hoping they'd follow. He wanted, no he needed, to get this show on the road.

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Interaction: @Mr.Scales ⚖

Judging by the lack of whimpering, crying out in pain, and general shrieks of fear, Meleona could only guess that she'd missed the mark. It wasn't like she was particularly aiming for him. Still, it would have been nice to smell the sweet scent of blood dripping from a fresh wound she'd created. "Guess this means I get to use my bare hands to hurt you," she spoke with a tinge of sadism coating her tone like venom on the tip of a blade. She licked her lips and dropped down from the scaffolding she'd been walking along. "There's not much in terms of options for you little spider. Wouldn't it be easier to just give up?" She began to peer around the corners of machinery and boxes. It was almost like she was wide open for attack, but it couldn't be that easy could it. "I mean, maybe you'll even like being my little guinea pig," she teased as she continued her thorough search, inching ever closer to Joaquin's position. What would he do? Launch an attack? Was her guard low enough to be susceptible to a sneak attack? Was her hubris truly so great?

Perhaps he could try to escape stealthily. There was a chance he could get out of the warehouse and escape, but there was also the chance she would notice him. Were there other options? What were the chances he could get away unscathed? She was powerful, but to what extent? Joaquin wouldn't have any other ideas of the extent of her abilities. SHe could be vastly stronger than she let on, or much weaker. What was he going to do? What?!

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Interaction: @Eon
Roughly a building away from Sebastian stood a rather large figure, standing quietly atop a roof. He breathed in. He held his hands to his eyes, mimicking binoculars.

"What are you doing?" A smaller figure said as he walked up beside the man.

"I forgot the binoculars... Oh wait... That was you."

"Don't worry about it Daemon, not everyone can be as perfect as me." The two males spoke with a bit of pep in his voice, completely ignoring the second half of his brother's statement.

"On of these days, Hendricks, I'll have your head." Daemon growled at his younger brother prompting a small laugh. He smirked. The two clearly had a dynamic if anyone were to observe them. Luckily, the two wouldn't have to worry about that. It was quite obvious that the two were adept at hiding their presence, their scents nearly erased, their footsteps silent. One would never know they were around unless the brother's wanted them too.

"Right right right," Hendricks said with another laugh as he held up a small ball. He pressed his thumb down on a button against it. "Now, let's see if he'll avoid a few bombs from above."

"Just remember not to hurt... the locals. Mother will be quite upset."

"Yeah yeah yeah. Don't be such a killjoy Daemon." Hendricks responded as he wound up and launched the ball in Sebastian's direction. It was a fairly small explosive in truth, but it would hurt. Hendricks had even times his attack. It wouldn't blow until it was just above Sebastian's head. He would have a moment to avoid if he was skillful enough.
 
Naunet
Earth-784
September 17th, 2023 - Morning

Interactions: David @Demon Shinobi , Jessica @chaosheart13


A Spider... Naunet thought, willing herself not to shudder. If Fortune favored, it would be another like the girl, a costumed human with 'spider' powers. An image of the Arachnoid flashed in her mind; his bulbous black abdomen and jointed legs almost shaggy with barbed, poisonous spines. His armored, muscular torso and once-human arms rose from this body in the manner of a centaur, topped by a wide, elongated head with vicious pincers and venomous fangs. Perhaps worst of all were his six round eyes, each the size of a fist, and the malignant intelligence that glittered in their unblinking gaze. She hoped neither the Spider nor the young man noticed her tense.

"I am a Natural Philosopher by training and practice," Naunet replied as she followed him. "It would be my pleasure to hear your hypothesis, and offer any insights I might have," she said with a soft, empyrean voice. So he was also brought to this world...and perhaps her as well? she thought, glancing over at the Spider-girl to see if she chose to join them. The girl had yet to speak, much less offer any indication of friendly intent.