The Spider Queen

(Nyrean Super Galaxy- Rtern Region)

(Unnamed Trading Post)

"Come back here! You didn't pay us!" an angry howl echoed through the pleasure district as four figures ran through the narrow streets of the city.

"Gizmo I thought you were the one bringing the cash," Zix grumbled with irritation clear in his voice.

The small green alien was too focused on piloting the exoskeleton around his body to reply to his friend's words.

"Why did you both book an appointment with the local mistresses if neither one of you had any cash!" Rokan yelled in shock as he adjusted his speed so that he did not outpace his companions.

Voxen's characteristically calm expression was broken as a plasma round barely missed his squarish head.

"Less talking more running!" Gizmo piped up as he swung the metal arm of his exoskeleton in the direction of a side passageway,

"There! There!"

The four men quickly darted into the small alleyway and soon the sounds of pursuing footsteps slowly got fainter and fainter away.

Rokan sank to his knees and began to heavily breathe in and out. He gasped for breath and his legs trembled violently.

He was worried that his companions would find it suspicious that the usually weak 'John' had managed to keep up with them while sprinting, so he needed to put on a bit of a performance.

Fortunately, it appeared as though he was just being overly cautious since his companions were far more interested in throwing the blame around.

"Zix what are you talking about?! I clearly said last night that the loser of our bet would have to pay for everything!" Gizmo argued as he waves his metal arms around angrily.

"What? Are you still drunk off that mead from a few hours ago? I. Won. That. Bet," Zix retorted as his antennas twitched in rage.

"Both of you shut the fuck up," Voxen growled darkly as he placed his face in his palms and took in a few deep breaths.

"We nearly died, and it was because you two morons couldn't pay for… wait… you weren't even in there for that long…"

"Exactly! I don't even know why they charged us! I only lasted for two minutes!" Gizmo proudly stated as he puffed out his chest.

Rokan stifled the giggles that almost left his mouth. That was honestly nothing to be bragging about.

"Alright let's not argue," Rokan coughed and then spoke in a calm tone. He returned to the role of the well spoken 'John' with ease.

"Why don't we get out of this district and go exploring for a little bit before we head back to the ship?"

"Sounds good to me… the further we get away from this place the better," Voxen agreed as he let out a weary sigh.

The four quietly continued their way through the labyrinth of houses, shacks and tents that made up the city.

There was no planning department, so the various residents of the city had simply built their homes out of whatever materials were available.

This led to a mismatch of styles and zones which made the city take on an appearance that resembled a jumbled mess.

Next to a large factory would be a rowdy tavern, an open market was situated next to a slum area, a fancy mansion was behind a simple looking shop.

Still there was peculiar charm to the madness as if the city's bizarre appearance reflected its residents of different races and social classes.

Rokan looked around as he passed a row of stalls.

His hand lowered ever so slowly before he smoothly nicked a small trinket and left a few coins at the same time.

The entire process took less than a few seconds and no one noticed his quick hands. Rokan felt a wave of nostalgia as he pocketed the trinket.

Before he was brought to the Peterlor Estate, he was nothing more than a street urchin begging in the streets of the capital for survival.

Learning how to steal was an essential skill for ensuring that you had enough to eat. Those that didn't steal were forced to earn their money in more… 'unpleasant' ways.

Rokan rubbed the trinket in his pocket absentmindedly as the sun in the sky sank towards the horizon.

The day was nearly over.

"I could use something to eat," Zix whined as he stared at a roasted pile of meat on top of a table that smelled of burnt rubber.

"That? That will send you to the hospital," Voxen warned sternly as the vendor behind the stall angrily shook his fist at him.

"No, it's okay… I have five stomachs!" Zix boasted as he walked up the vendor and asked for a large cut.

"Can someone lend me a few coins? I promise I'll pay you back…"

Zix placed his pincers together and stared at Voxen and Rokan with his multiple eyes blinking pitifully as if he was trying to mimic a lost puppy.

"Fine…" Rokan groaned as he handed over three golden coins to Zix who quickly snatched them without saying a word of thanks.

He paid the vendor and began to devour the meat on the spot.

Gross brown juices flew out of the meat and Rokan had to take a step back to avoid them from getting on his clothes.

The stench was awful and Rokan was grateful for his high cultivation level because he was fairly certain that his eyes would be watering if he was a normal person.

He was the lucky one.

"Gross! By the gods… that smells like shit!" Gizmo gagged as he ran away and tried desperately not to throw up in his suit.

Voxen followed Rokan's movements and also widened the distance between himself and the insect-like alien who was still munching down on the chunk of meat.

Zix devoured the entire chunk and let out a contented burp. The vendor looked at him with an expression of disbelief.

"Sir… sir… that was for… feeding… livestock…" the vendor stuttered in shock.

"Well, you should consider selling it for consumption," Zix suggested kindly as he stretched out his pincers and let out another belch.

Suddenly a loud commotion filled the marketplace. The sound of heavy footsteps immediately made the bustling vendors and customers fall silent.

Dozens of heavily armoured soldiers appeared in the distance, and they marched with synchronised movements.

The soldiers were four-legged creatures covered in thick white armour plates that reflected the glaring light of the sun.

The leader of the group was a massive behemoth over nine feet tall with rippling muscles and a long furry tail that swept the ground as he walked.

The soldiers made their way to the front of the marketplace and the leader reached into his pocket using his paw to pull out a metalloid sphere.

"Attention all citizens," the captain howled loudly as he pressed a button on the side of the device.

A holographic screen projected upwards into the air and the figure of a naked human male appeared on the screen.

"Please notice the local Federines authorities if you see a creature of this race. Be careful… he is considered a rank S criminal and is not to be engaged with."

"Any information that leads to his successful capture or elimination will be rewarded with two billion dollars."