Alex sat nervously tapping his foot, things were getting bad. The men he had hired should have captured John by now but it appears he made some powerful allies on his way back from the grave and now he was nearing Paradise, this wasn't going to be good. He glanced over to the sealed lockbox on his desk, he unlocked it and flicked it open just to make sure it was still there. A Page sat inside, sections of it were torn off to get the money to hire the assassins but most of it was still his. Staring at it made his stomach sink, he closed the box and locked it.

  He stood from his desk and paced. 'I've hired every gangster I could on such short notice,' Alex thought to himself. 'At least all those I could afford and somehow John has gotten past them all and keeps getting closer.' As he paced he glanced out of the window at Paradise, the buildings seemed mainly glass and concrete with bright neon lights all around. Paradise was split into 3 sections surrounding the Gambler's Den, each was ruled over by a crime family that controlled one of the 3 major casinos. The Rose, The Leviathan and The Cerulean Gardens, the 3 great casinos of Paradise. He was sheltering under the watchful eyes of the Levithan; he had offered them half the Page if they killed John.

  'It's fine Alex,' Alex thought. 'They got past all of those low-level thugs but they can't get past the Levithan, you just gotta sit tight and wait it out!' Even trying to be optimistic didn't help. Alex kept pacing nervously, surely any moment now news would come in that John and his little gang were caught or shot in the streets then he'd be free. Alex stopped by his desk and sunk into the chair, it was all just wishful thinking. 'If Rulst-Kal is right and they have an Archon,' Alex thought. 'Then i'm fucked, i'll just be sitting here waiting for them to drag me from my gilded cage,'

  Alex stared at the ceiling, 'what can I do?' he thought. 'Is there anything I could do?' As he sat lost in thought while staring at the ceiling he saw something crawl across it, a spider? 'How the hell did a-'

  "Looks like you need some help," Someone said. "Or am I wrong?"

  Alex practically jumped up from his chair and drew his pistol as he looked then froze. He saw a woman dressed in a fine suit holding up 2 of his guards with spider-like legs but what was most striking was her features, she had petrified cracking skin with bits of dark skin peeking out beneath as well as eyes that shifted color. An Archon.

  "Who-Who are you!?!" Alex yelled as he pointed the pistol.

  "Ah, how rude of me," She said, tossing the bodies of his 2 guards to the ground.

  In an instant she appeared before him.

  "I am Keira, Archon of Spiders," Keira said.

  Alex took a step back, 'this is an Archon?' he thought. 'I didn't even see her move...' He tried to steady his breathing and held his pistol with both hands.

  "Now we don't need any of that," Keira said.

  A spider-like leg sprouted from her neck and slapped his pistol away sending it flying into the wall. Alex took another step back and Keira took a step forward.

  "What are you doing here?" Alex said frantically. "What do you want?"

  She took another step closer and leaned into him, her eyes stopped a few inches from his and stared into his soul. They were the eyes of a killer.

  "I hear you are having trouble with somethings," Keira said. "And i would like to offer my services,"

  Alex tensed up, there was something else happening here.

  "I don't know if I can afford an Archon-" Alex said.

  "I think you quite can," Keira said, glancing over at the lockbox. "I think you very much can,"

  "Well, thank you for the offer but i don't need your help, i have it under control-" Alex said.

  A spider-like leg sprouted from her neck and lashed out stopping just an inch from his neck.

  "Don't try to lie to me Alex," Keira said. "I don't have infinite patience,"

  "I can't afford to give the Page up, it's the only thing i-" Alex said.

  "Don't worry, you sad little Luxicon," Keira said. "I won't take all of it, just 95% of it,"

  Alex's eyes widened, with that much he'd be the one with a Partial Page and she the one with a Page. Alex took another step back but he ran into the glass, Keira took a step forward.

  "I'm quite fine," Alex said. "I think you for the offer but i don't-"

  Keira's hand shot forward faster than Alex could register and grabbed him then slammed him into the glass causing massive cracks to form on it.

  "I think you misunderstand what's happening here," Keira said. "I am offering you the only chance you have right now to save your life and a teeny-tiny bit of the Page,"

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  Keira leaned in close.

  "I suggest you take it unless you want to be painting the sidewalk," Keira said.

  "I'm under the protection of the Levithan," Alex said. "You'll get a target on your back for targeting me and i'll be killed if i give you that much of the Page,"

  "Then I suppose I'll have to evac you to a safe spot," Keira said. "If you take my deal that is, if not..."

  In an instant the window shattered outward and Keira held him over the edge, Alex glanced down. 15 stories, he'd die on impact.

  "Well, what'll be," Keira said. "Wanna try flying or are you gonna give me the Page,"

  Alex grabbed at her arm and looked at her then down to the ground, 'i'm probably going to die no matter what i do,' He thought. 'So I've gotta survive as long as possible to find a way out of this.'

  "I'll give you the Page," Alex said. "As much as you want, please just don't kill me,"

  Keira grew a small smile before tossing him back inside the room, he slammed into his desk tipping it over. Keira walked over to him and looked down.

  "It's not so hard now, was it?" Keira said. "Now give me the Page and we'll start this little arrangement,"

  Alex coughed and slowly rose to his knees, he crawled over to the lockbox and pulled it open. Once it was open he fell back onto the ground, Keira approached the lockbox and looked inside.

  "Exactly what I was expecting," Keira said. "Now that payment is sorted let's get you somewhere safe,"

  Keira slid the Page into one of her pockets then hoisted up Alex and approached the broken glass.

  "Mind telling me about who's hunting you?" Keira said.

  "An Arbeross, a Scribe and an Archon," Alex said. "Hey- What are you gonna-"

  "Ah, the newbie's after you?" Keira said. "I suppose i can teach him what a real Archon looks like,"

  Keira stopped at the edge and looked down.

  "Hold on tight," Keira said.

  "Wait-" Alex said.

  Keira jumped out from the window then created a long durable thread of silk and swung off into the night.

  Isaac watched as Keira swung away from the building, she was always causing trouble. He looked over to the Dealer standing beside him. It was of average height with pale skin, short hair, teeth colored like a roulette wheel and eyes that were poker chips, for clothes it wore black dress pants with a white dress shirt and a small bowtie with a bright red blazer. They were Dealers, Fragments of the Gambler.

  "Looks like something big is coming," Isaac said. "Don't you agree, Gambler?"

  He looked over at the Dealer, its eyes shifted from poker chips to slots. The Gambler had taken it over.

  "Yes it looks like quite the show with all the movement happening" The Gambler said.

  "You know why she'd pull something like this?" Isaac asked. "She's always been a bit more... calculated then this,"

  "She wants that Page" The Gambler says. "With a Page any of the casinos could gain much more power here in Paradise"

  "But not too much," Isaac said.

  "Indeed" The Gambler said.

  "Mind telling me what you know?" Isaac said. "I am the private security you're paying to guard this shithole,"

  "Someone's hunting down that man and his Page" The Gambler said. "And that someone has an Archon travelling with them"

  "Well shit, this cities gonna become a battleground," Isaac said. "Which is it? Oscar? Pak-Kas? Igniviron?"

  "Arnimos" The Gambler said.

  "Arnimos? Who is-" Isaac said then the realization came over him. "Oh god, she's gonna kill that kid,"

  "I don't think there have been too many battles between Archons" The Gambler said. "I wonder what it will look like"

  "Nothing good," Isaac said. "I'll-"

  "I forbid you from helping the new Archon" The Gambler said.

  Isaac stared at him.

  "What?" Isaac said.

  "I want to see what will happen" The Gambler said. "So i forbid you from helping"

  Isaac stared the Gambler down, lightning began to arc from his body. The Gambler grew a grin.

  "Threatening me now" The Gambler said. "This is why i like you but-"

  The body of the Dealer the Gambler was inhabiting began to shift and break as power surged in it then it shattered open as a man dressed in a bright red suit with slots for eyes, teeth colored like a roulette wheel and fingernails marked like a die appeared.

  "Don't forget the difference between us" The Gambler said.

  "You got something planned don't you?" Isaac said.

  "Always" The Gambler said.

  The lightning died down on Isaac who then turned away from the Gambler.

  "I won't do anything," Isaac said. "But if she tries to kill him then i'm jumping in,"

  "Let us hope it doesn't come to that" The Gambler said.

  Isaac jumped from the building and turned into a lighting bolt, these coming days were going to be terrible.