Chapter 607 - Faceless Cackles

Gwendolyn 'Gwen' Stacy sneaked a glance towards Nik. He walked in the front as the group ventured through the world covered in green. Even the tone of their skins looked green. It took a quite a few minutes of whispering persuasion from Anna but the thought of everyone n.a.k.e.d in her room itself aside from her became the motivating factor pushing Gwen to walk on a single condition— Nik takes the lead and doesn't look back— since Poole instantly rejected the condition of using her 'magic' to give all of them something to wear. "Enjoying that booty?" Poole whispered as Anna looked towards the blonde with the same face as Gwen. "You are..." Anna inquired with a confused expression. "It's me! Gwenpool!"

Honestly, while all the three had similar features with very little difference in the shape of their bodies, it was their hairstyle that set them apart. Especially Spider. But in the case of Poole and Gwen, both of them had short straight hair with pink tints grading up from the lower portion of the hair. "That's my boyfriend!" Anna hissed softly, making sure that her voice doesn't reach the man in the spectacular tattoo. The dragon even coiled around his back as Poole shrugged, "Sorry, hon, I wasn't asking you, but your ballet partner," the woman pointed at the extremely similar but blushing Gwen looking down. While Spider looked the most athletic out of them, the other two were still more on the skinny side. "I wasn't looking!" Gwen spoke up, making sure that Ann believed her, the blonde continued, "I swear!"

"I mean," Anna mumbled, "He is walking in the front. What more can I expect?" Shrugging and tiptoeing forward, Anna reached near Nik and winked at the trio walking behind them before taking Nik's arm. "Hmm?" Looking sideways, Nik smiled, "Hey there, I thought you'll just stay back the entire time."

"As rare it is to see you from the back," Anna cooed softly, her gaze drifting to Nik's erection, "But this is always better." Without feeling the need to touch Nik's member, she softly kissed his bicep as Poole's lips twitched. "I would have cursed her," she mumbled, "But both of their booties look soooo good~! Am I right? Sure, some readers would agree, too. Guess what, I can actually see those shapely butts and you guys can't. It's in words, I figured it out!"

"Talking to the so-called 'readers'?" Spider inquired, having nothing better to do as Poole smiled at her. "You bet I am. Do you know what those guys wouldn't give up just to see us three in the same room?"

"Ugh, disgusting," Gwen made some distance between herself and Poole as the talker shrugged, "That's why I'm the popular one!"

"So," Gwen changed the topic and failed to ve truly subtle about it. It was her expression that gave it away. "I still need to thank you guys. I know that some sort of criminal mastermind was after you," she looked at Spider before turning to Poole, "And I know aliens were after you. Though, I still don't know if aliens really exist. Still, you guys shared a lot with me and I'm... grateful."

"Aw, you melt my heart," Poole chimed, "Just hope the aliens didn't do that to me while I was away from my body."

"Why would you jinx yourself?" Spider groaned as Nik turned back—

"Don't look back!" Gwen and Spider instantly shouted while Poole took a glamorous pose. "Oops, already seen it!" Nik shrugged and pointed, "Anyway, there's someone ahead of us."

The first part of his words earned him a glare and a smirk while the latter pulled genuine curiosity as they placed their shame aside and walked up the street to see a literal as.e.x.u.a.l person resting on the sidewalk over a chair with a book in his hands. The book and the figure seemed far more ethereal than the group and even the book looked quite phantom and ghostly. As if feeling the curious stare, the man turned to them, his head balding with green-tinted grey streaks at the side of his head. "Good day, folk, eh? You're not from around here? Who knew anyone else had the consciousness to even enter this world."

Spider and Gwen stepped back once again after a single glance towards Nik's erection. It wouldn't kill the boy to be subtle, they thought together but they couldn't blame him, too. As it turned out, the tri-Gwen were a bit egoistic and of course, they felt the erection shameless yet still complimenting enough. At least, after seeing the size of it. Poole, however, never backed down and looked at the man in front of them, "Where's your middle organ? We all have it. Did you stay here for too long?"

"Ha!" The man exclaimed with a pleasant expression, refocusing on his book while shaking his head, "Keen observation, young'n. I felt no need for s.e.x.u.a.l difference and after my death from what you call the real world, I found myself here. You know, this book actually records the accomplishment of every person who has worked towards the goal of gender liberalization and not some aggressive feminism. Sadly, a few could arrive here. Plenty stranded through their next lives and even more stuck in the realms of their religious beliefs. Would you care about the fact that Jews particularly populate the planes of their religious beliefs?" He inquired as Anna shook her head silently.

"Not really," Nik shrugged.

"Me neither," the man chuckled, "But you lot have been an unwelcomed distraction. Be on your way, come on. This plane is sparsely littered for a reason. Like-minded men and women unwilling to be disturbed since we have been bothered a lot during our previous lives. Nice body inking by the way. A first to see for myself. Though, I have heard of another great spirit with such a decor. It was Newton. From the earlier century, in fact."

"Wow," Poole muttered, "For someone who doesn't like to be disturbed, he sure informs other people a lot. Anyway, we should be on our way. The two behind us are getting anxious for more than one reason."

"Good day," Nik mumbled towards the man before taking the lead again. Though it still felt quite free to walk around n.a.k.e.d, it was another thing to see an old man with nothing down there except plain flesh. So, out of sight, out of mind.

"Hey, Ann, after we drop these two off, wanna search Newton with me?" Nik inquired, clearly, a little intrigued after hearing that someone else's consciousness or spiritual avatar could gain a totem or something familiar since he was directly connected to an unnamed ravager bloodline. "Sure, what about Gwen?" She tilted her head up as Nik spoke loud enough for Gwen to hear behind them. "Want to tag along?"

"No thanks." Gwen said as she inquired, "Anyway, how do we return to our world after Poole and Spider return?"

"Return to Strange's place? It's like 20 minutes away," Nik said while they began moving towards Gwen's apartment. In fact, aside from the mysterious fellow who didn't seem inclined to leave his name even if asked, the group found no one else. And as Anna continued to look around with Poole, Nik continued with the lesson Sky continued to impart him for the last 23 hours non-stop. Her take on this was to use his ability of dividing his consciousness to max efficiency. If he can do all his work while she continued to teach him about space and all its mysteries, at least, the ones she wished to teach, then there was nothing better to ask for and indeed. As Nik's knowledge about the spatial manipulation increased at a steady rate, he began dissecting the mystery of the world he was now traveling in with the help of Asmodeus.

---

"Master Garuk—"

"Sorcerer Garuk," a voice corrected the white-suited kingpin in the dark of the chambers with an archaic smell lingering much to Kingpin's displeasure. The voice seemed irritated and impatient. The distant, flickering candles only served to play with Kingpin's vision if anything else. While unused to being corrected, since the day he murdered his father in an accident, at least, Kingpin had been the one to hold control. His mentality filled with bloody brutality that even the pheromones of the purple man of the most recent past couldn't persuade.

Within the modern era, seeing round-bottom vials, the sound of gurgling and boiling cauldron was unexpected, one of the many quirks Kingpin believed Garuk to have. After all, one can achieve the same things through a sophisticated, non-smelling manner. "That lass, Felicia. I have no use for her anymore. Let her decide what she wants from now on without any firm pat on her back," Garuk gruffed out, making Kingpin question.

"Is that why you called me?"

"Summoned you, yes," the man hidden by a large robe and a hood covering the back of his head cackled. "You are the Kingpin, remember? And I am your court," he hissed in a ghastly manner, "The experiment on that lass was a favor for my close acquaintance. Her father. Nothing more and it was of no intention of further aiding your cause."

"And yet I still managed to find work for her."

"Well," the covered figure turned back, revealing a burnt face with mouth, eyes, and the nose packed into a single fleshy side, "Lucky her," a face that the man didn't reveal to Felicia at the time of her experiment. "As expected of a wise and charismatic figure. And as always, I appreciate the... how is it called in this era, ah yes, research funding. But that is not why I gathered you here for, my Lord," with his tone dripping in sarcasm, the man stepped aside, revealing orange fluid bubbling within the pot, "I believe the Germans would kill for this soldier serum. Let your hoodlums have it tested out and do so at one of the... less fortunate countries. The City you wish to conquer, I'm afraid, has a rather loyal magical guardian."

"What kind?" Kingpin inquired with his gaze narrowed.

"Why, the best kind, of course. Mustache to die for the cape to bow against. A man of shallow depths and yet one of the greatest talents, reaching that of one ancient Morgana. Merlin, however, never needed the title of supreme and this Garuk doesn't either."

Unwilling to flare the man by pointing out his obsession of being titled a sorcerer himself, Kingpin focusing on the bubbling brew. "Any side effects what we 'mongrels' have to fear?"

"If you are asking for your personal use then many, in all honesty. But for temporary soldiers, with a day or two to live, this is the... I tend to forget the current terms quite a lot. Yes," he hissed, "the users would be no less than blasts of power that modern explosives could hardly match for these are far more controllable."

"I understand. And what of the actual serum? I was promised that you didn't need the formula to brew me one."

"And I still don't. But why would you need the confine yourself to the limits of humanity? You wish to conquer, do you not? But is it with money and mortality or godlike strength and immortality?" Garuk's inquiry made Kingpin's gaze glow for a moment.

"I need results, Sorcerer. Quickly. I will also send Joseph to collect the concoctions."

"And as usual, I shall prepare the usual notes of use. And one more thing before you leave, King," Garuk called out, "It has been a lovely experience for you to not flinch at my appearance."

"Just like Harlem, I've got a knack of gaining acquired taste quicker than others. That's why I still live, do I not."

"As intuitive as always," Garuk's ghostly voice cackled as Kingpin left the apartment.