The spiders were blocked by the new wall of rubble that filled the tunnel, and Stanley shared his observation with the others. "We're good for now, I think."

Stanley took advantage of the respite and turned his attention to their surroundings. They had traveled further north and closer to the last place he'd seen the acid. Not that he was seeing anything now, but still something to be aware of.

He watched for anything remotely close to a puddle or liquid of any kind as he felt out the new environment.

The fleeing humans had already retreated behind their wall ahead, which left only the wounded one they had abandoned. Eve was looking him over, and Stanley helped out by creating light. That revealed the blackened flesh where two puncture marks adorned the man's leg. The rot was spreading from those punctures, and it didn't look good for him.

Eve stepped back from the moaning man and shrugged. "Nothing I can do. Maybe if Zeke was here…"

Walter stepped closer, alternating between staring down at the dying man and looking at the burning egg in his arms. "Adrian may be able to save him," Walter finally said.

"Really?" Stanley listened to Adrian's Soul for a moment but didn't sense any awareness of the current situation. "I didn't know he could do that."

"Neither did I," Eve murmured accusingly at Walter.

"It is knowledge that I have endeavored to keep hidden," Walter said, "the better to avoid drawing attention while Adrian is so vulnerable. But as we are in unprecedented times, I believe Master Adrian would wish to help given the opportunity." He looked at Stanley. "Shall we attempt to save this one?"

Stanley shrugged. "He doesn't feel evil…"

"What… are… you…" the dying man watched them with wide eyes and no small confusion as he struggled to move while the venom in his body continued to spread dark lines beneath his skin.

Stanley didn't know this person and didn't really feel any attachment to whether he lived or died. However, Stanley did know that Zeke wouldn't hesitate to save him, and from what he remembered of Adrian, that man would probably make the same choice.

Walter knelt just out of the man's reach and spoke, "You will place your hand upon the egg and do nothing else."

The man's expression got a bit wilder as he glanced at the egg covered in fire. "What…"

"Should you attempt to harm or damage the egg in any way, then I shall end your life immediately. Do you understand?"

The man's mouth opened and closed a few times as his Soul radiated with confusion and fear; right before his eyes rolled up and he passed out cold.

Walter hesitated a second before nodding. "I suppose that will do. Miss, if you would?"

Eve chuckled and grabbed an arm before placing his limp hand against the egg. "Like this?"

Stanley saw the flames flicker around his hand with no reaction, then suddenly flare brighter and spread rapidly to engulf the man. "Probably good that he passed out…"

Stanley also felt Adrian's attention now. It still held some of the dream-like properties, but the healing was intentional and not a reflex, as Stanley half expected.

Stanley floated closer and placed his own hand on the egg. He was pretty sure that Adrian knew he was here, if only because the egg was within the Soul Shield, but he still wasn't sure how aware the man was in there. "I haven't forgotten what you did," Stanley thought, "that was pretty fucking heroic. Don't worry. I'll watch out for everyone as long as it takes for you to… hatch."

Caffeine nosed the egg as well, giving it a lick with no concern for the flames, while Stanley scratched the pug's ears and floated back.

Walter also moved back when the flames retreated from the much healthier-looking but still unconscious man.

Walter and Eve both eventually looked away from the man to stare expectantly at Stanley, and he realized they were waiting on him. "There's a bunch more people over there." Stanley waved down the tunnel in the direction the others had fled. "I figured we might as well stop in and see if they have a map at least. Or if they know what all that shit out there was?"

He was also curious if they knew why the spiders hadn't moved in down here but didn't say anything. His first guess was that something else lived in the underground, something that the spiders were afraid of and something Stanley couldn't detect. But he didn't want to make Eve or Walter more nervous about how Zeke and Daryl might be fairing wherever they were.

"Seriously?" Eve shook her head at him.

Stanley sighed; he'd been focusing on the threat and stopped paying attention to his speech, and looked down at the unconscious man. "Good a test as any." He pushed his will against the man, and the body lifted into the air. "Just like the spiders, being unconscious lowers the resistance." He also backed off to leave the man outside of his domain and tested it again.

It turned out he could still drag him across the ground but couldn't entirely lift him clear.

"Let's go introduce ourselves to the neighbors." Stanley headed off.

While they trudged up the tunnel, Stanley tried to get Eve to increase her willingness to be carried. He would have tried Walter but figured it was safer to test with someone not carrying a giant egg. He didn't think the egg would be very fragile, but better not to risk it.

Unfortunately, Eve made no progress in the experiment. Either she was just too unwilling to be carried, or Stanley was wrong about how it worked.

"You're probably doing it wrong," Eve agreed helpfully.

As they continued up the curving tunnel, a new obstacle was illuminated by Stanley's Psionic light. A smooth stone wall that completely blocked off the passage. It actually blended rather seamlessly with the other walls. Even the train tracks stopped before reaching the obstruction.

"There's a door off to the left side," Stanley informed his companions, "there are also hidden tunnels with people in them there and there." He pointed out the very well-hidden peepholes that looked like little more than cracks in the stone.

Eve strode forward confidently and shouted, "Come on out, you fucking shitbag cowards!"

Stanley caught a very faint sigh from Walter.

"We have your friend that you shit stains abandoned!" Eve reached the door Stanley had pointed out and kicked it hard.

The previously smooth stone cracked under her metal boot, and the doorway became apparent.

Stanley was as surprised as the others when a man walked straight through the middle of the stone wall like it wasn't there. Stanley had seen him coming; he was watching everyone in the area; he'd just expected the wall to be a bit more of an impediment.

He emerged already shouting at Eve, "What in the knockoff Ironman…"

The stone behind the newcomer appeared completely solid to Stanley's mental touch, but so did the man's body. Stanley was trying to figure out whether he'd used a Skill on the rock or himself when the man took another step forward and entered the Soul Shield's radius.

Stanley only noticed that fact because the man abruptly turned his gaze from Eve onto Stanley. "…zen… dog sitter…" He faltered as he took in the cross-legged and floating Stanley with a pug in his lap.

Then he looked at Walter, and his shout died off completely.

Stanley couldn't blame him. They really were an odd sight. Especially the tuxedo-clad butler with a two-foot-tall fiery egg in his arms.

Stanley did sense a moment of recognition when the man glanced briefly at their unconscious passenger.

Despite the oddity, he recovered quickly. "What is going on?" the man finally asked in a much calmer tone.

"Who are you calling Ironman, and are you the fucker in charge here?" Eve demanded as pounding started to come from the cracked door.

The man seemed to straighten up under Eve's barrage. "Pardon my manners." He bowed dramatically, one arm sweeping out wide. "I am Bartholomew Bertrand Belisarius…"

Eve opened her mouth, something Stanley only knew because he could feel under her helmet…

"The third," Bartholomew spoke just in time to interrupt her.

Eve paused, irritation flaring, and opened her mouth again.

"But you may call me B's!" Bartholomew again cut her off. "or Bart… or Bartholomew… or Bartholomew Bertrand Belisarius!"

Stanley relaxed marginally. Bartholomew seemed like an okay guy, and he appeared to have figured Eve out already. He also had the same reaction to her as Stanley and was doing a masterful job of annoying her, especially when he interrupted her again and again.

Finally, he said, "why are you here, and what is Evan doing with you?"

His question and look toward the unconscious man diverted Eve's annoyance right before Stanley thought she might take a shot at him.

"The spiders were getting a bit riled up, and we noticed that, for some reason, they don't seem to like the underground," Stanley said, "As for this guy…"

"His asshole friends left him for dead at our feet!" Eve practically yelled upon getting a chance to say something.

That got a reaction from Bartholomew, an angry one, and not because she was yelling. "You don't say…"

The cracked door finally gave out under the assault from the other side and burst open. People spilled through with hushed commands and urgent haste. They formed up around Bartholomew and faced off against Stanley's group.

Stanley drifted slightly sideways as they came, placing himself more firmly between them and Walter.

Bartholomew looked toward the ceiling, seeming unconcerned. "So what did you do to get the spiders riled up?"

"One of the big black and yellow fucks came sniffing around," Eve said, and Bartholomew nodded, surprisingly nervous for the first time. "So we killed it," Eve stated proudly.

Bartholomew switched instantly from nervous to scared. "You killed an Orb Weaver?" The name drew frightened looks and whispers from the people around him as they all started to ease back toward their shelter.

"Is that what they're called?" Stanley asked. It made sense if the Lair was named after them… "Actually, we killed two of them. The last one was kinda by accident."

"Bullshit," Eve said, "you couldn't even kill the first one!"

"I think it does have a weak spot in its head. It was eating my… your spear, and I threw the pieces back at…"

"We need to get out of here!" Bartholomew interrupted, "Everyone back inside! Get Samson to fix the door! We have incoming…"

"You don't have anything incoming," Stanley said; he'd checked, "one of your guys already knocked down the tunnel back there, and it blocked off the little bugs just fine."

"And almost fucking buried us!" Eve added.

"It's just rocks. I could have held it up…"

Bartholomew calmed a bit as Stanley argued with Eve. He did, however, get everyone to head back inside. "Speaking of which," Stanley turned to him, "is there another tunnel that can take us south?"

"No," Bartholomew said, "at least, not from here. You'd have to go above ground to the other line."

While they were underground, they weren't that deep, and Stanley's touch could still reach the surface without issue. "They are still pretty thick up there…"

Bartholomew glanced curiously at Stanley and then up at the ceiling. "I can have Samson clear the tunnel," he said, "once, of course, the way is clear. He can shape stone and dirt, which is very handy in our situation. But until then…" He gestured at the doorway with a reluctant sigh. "I guess you're welcome here. Just… are you sure they aren't chasing you?"

Stanley shook his head. "We lost the big ones, and your guy actually helped by blocking the tunnel. We should be fine." He could still feel the big Souls searching for them, but they were not coming this way.

Stanley shared a look with the others and, finding no objection, drifted toward the door with Evan still floating alongside him. They were clearly still worried about Zeke and Daryl, but they couldn't go anywhere at the moment, at least not safely, and Stanley hadn't seen any change in Zeke's Soul.

"So…" Bartholomew said, "how strong was the orb weaver, and for that matter, would you tell me exactly what happened with Evan here?"

Stanley freely shared what they'd seen from the spiders, including how they had seemed to be able to detect Soul energy to some extent. In return, Bartholomew told them of how everyone here knew better than to fight the behemoths.

Apparently, no one had killed any that he knew of, and so he was curious to learn what the reaction was, especially considering how many had died when someone did attack one. He was considerably more relaxed once he realized Stanley could confirm that they weren't about to get swarmed.

You have entered a Hidden Human Lair [Bartholomew Bertrand Belisarius' Home].

Stanley was surprised by that one, and it reminded him of a question he had, but Bartholomew spoke before he could voice it…

"Tristan, Michael, Vernon, get over here." Bartholomew's voice wasn't loud once inside the wall, but it carried oddly well, and Stanley felt the three Souls from earlier all flinch among the crowd ahead.

Despite the fear and guilt emanating from the men, all three obeyed the summons and threaded their way through the curious mass of people. No one else moved as they waited, seeming content to wait for Bartholomew's lead on the situation.

When they arrived, all three stared in shock at the man floating unconscious beside Stanley.

Bartholomew spoke. "Tell me again what happened to Evan."

"But he… he was poisoned! He was already dying!"

"So you abandoned him?" Bartholomew asked in a deadly tone.

"We… there was a monster!"

"And why, pray tell, does that mean you should abandon a team member?"

Bartholomew berated their cowardice loudly, ensuring that everyone heard what had happened. The men wilted under the barrage and gave up on defending themselves. Until finally, Bartholomew sent them away.

"That's it?" Eve questioned angrily, "they left a man to die, and all they get is a lecture?"

"Yes," Bartholomew said, "they will suffer for this. No one will be willing to join them after that stunt, and it only gets more dangerous every day out there."

"Why are you guys still here?" Stanley asked then, "Seems like a deathtrap to stay in this city if you can't even fight the big bugs."

"This is our city, and we aren't letting a bunch of bugs have it!" Bartholomew declared, garnering a few quiet but enthusiastic agreements from the people around them.

"You do you, I guess. Now, where do you want me to put this?" Stanley glanced pointedly at Evan.

"Was he actually poisoned?" Bartholomew asked instead of answering.

Stanley knew where this was going but answered anyway. "Yea, a nasty-looking bite on his leg with black lines running up almost to his face."

"So… you have a healer?" Bartholomew's eyes roved past all of them before settling on the egg.

Stanley was guessing that the man had the ability to move through solid matter somehow and that it included some limited vision through the same. Which made him very curious, especially when the man's gaze rested far too long on the burning egg, and his Soul betrayed his shock. "What do you see in there?"

Bartholomew flinched ever so slightly. "What makes you say…" He stopped trying to hide it after looking at Stanley and seeing something that told him his secret was out.

"Honestly, it is like nothing I've ever seen." Bartholomew let the wonder in his Soul seep into his words. "I see a man and a bird… both curled up and sleeping in an endless sea of golden flames… What… what is that?"

He tore his gaze away, looking at all of them differently after that. "Who are you people?"

Stanley noticed Walter's questioning and cautious glance his way and did another sweep of the Souls in the area. He was picking up nothing hostile from Bartholomew, and even Caffeine seemed friendly enough toward the man. "It's a long story…"

"No! Wait… Oww!" Evan woke up rather abruptly and subsequently fell to the ground when he instinctively resisted Stanley's hold. His head bounced off the ground audibly, but Stanley doubted that would hurt anyone at the man's grade.

It took a few minutes for the man to calm down and realize that he wasn't about to be devoured by the scary monsters in the dark. Bartholomew sent him off, and Stanley finally asked the question that was bugging him. "Why don't the spiders live down here?"

"We don't know," Bartholomew replied unhelpfully, "I've never seen it myself, but there are rumors that something off-world survived in the early days and moved in somewhere below us."

Stanley focused again but still detected nothing more than a handful of minor Souls deeper underground. The number and strength of which couldn't be enough of a threat to deter what was obviously thriving above ground. He did find an unnatural feeling tunnel on the edge of his range, one that ran straight down farther than he could feel, but nothing close by.

Stanley didn't say anything. He knew all too well that some monsters could hide their Souls. Instead, Stanley shared a significantly edited and short story of Adrian, including how he might be able to help some people. Also, the deadly consequences of any threat toward Adrian.

It was more well-lit inside the walled-off section of the tunnel, and Stanley decided that he could let the increasingly desperate Caffeine loose. He hadn't wanted to risk it in the darker tunnels, a small black pug running up on people who were probably on edge already about spiders in the night.

Not that he worried for the dog's safety, but more so feared his own overreaction to any aggression.

It helped that everyone had become aware of the commotion, and the cause for it, so a lot of them were watching the newcomers and saw the pug jump from Stanley's lap.

Caffeine immediately went for a better sniff of Bartholomew, nosing at the man's leg before standing on hind legs to check his hands for snacks. "He's friendly," Stanley said to Bartholomew.

"Don't be so nervous," Bartholomew said while eyeing Stanley, "you don't think I would attack a little dog?" Bartholomew let Caffeine inspect his hands before giving the disappointed pug a few scratches as he turned away in search of food.

"No," Stanley agreed, "I don't think you would."

Caffeine, of course, made a beeline for the cooking area… and Stanley followed slowly after, Bartholomew in his wake. He had already looked over the men, women, and a surprising number of children in here and doubted anyone would be a problem.

Stanley felt the excitement from what looked like the cook but did not anticipate the cause. "Where did you find an egg!? Oh god, I can't wait to try…"

His exclamation ended abruptly at the hostility that came his way. Especially when Stanley's Soul crushed down on him, and the man collapsed into unconsciousness.

"Chill out, Stanley." Eve's calm voice brought him back, and Stanley pulled his Soul back in close as Caffeine bounded back into his lap.

Walter was upset as well but remained outwardly impassive despite the horrible statement.

"Relax…" Bartholomew was trembling and staring at Stanley wide-eyed while Caffeine licked at his face. "He didn't know…"

"It is quite all right, Sir," Walter said, "an honest mistake."

Bartholomew rallied after a few moments. "Sorry, the one downside of staying here is minimal food options. I don't suppose you have anything besides spiders to eat?"

The question, considering the fact that none of them were carrying any kind of bag, made Stanley wonder if magic storage Skills were more common than he thought.

"I don't…" Stanley stopped when Walter nodded.

"I have some meat that I may be convinced to part with, Sir," Walter said and smiled ever so slightly, "for the right price, of course."

Stanley looked at Eve, who only shrugged. Then Walter was before him and holding Adrian carefully out. "If you would, Sir."

Stanley sighed at the man not using his name, but he knew Walter's Soul and knew it was just his way. He took the egg into his lap and let Walter free up his hands for the negotiations.

Apparently, Walter had some of the giant rodent meat still on hand, and he planned to increase their food supply by trading it for spider meat.

Stanley tried to relax and watched Caffeine romp through the people.