Chapter Text
Peter shot out a web line with one hand as he checked the pockets of his trench coat with the other for the umpteenth time. His favorite pistols were loaded with silver bullets, strapped to his belt and hidden inside his deep pockets. Vials of holy water and a few wooden stakes rested in another pocket, far enough away from his body that he didn't have to worry about accidentally stabbing himself. But even if they brushed against him, they wouldn't be able to tear holes or gashes into his dark suit and armor.
He was armed to the teeth, just like a vampire. He only hoped he could sink his claws into their king before they could sink their fangs into his neck.
His web latched onto a tree, and he used the momentum to swing forward and repeat. The dark trees blurred past him in a tangle of branches he knew not to get stuck in, but luckily, it was daytime, so he didn't have to soar through the dark. He replayed the mission in his head as he passed through and underneath the gnarly limbs.
Infiltrate the Green Goblin's castle. Stick a stake through his undead heart. Burn the wretched bloodsucker stronghold to the ground.
It sounded simple, but pinpointing the castle's location had always been difficult. The castle wasn't just a fortress, but also a complex machine that could teleport anywhere in the world at the Goblin's whim. It took months of Felicia's contacts in other towns tracing the last sightings, Ben Urich's vigilant reporting and observing, and the other Spiders' assistance to find its current location. Knowing they couldn't wait to celebrate, Peter left to find it immediately.
There was also the issue of vampire-related intel. Of course, he knew the basics: they were weak to sunlight and holy objects, preferred to live in cold, dark places, had a bite strength that could snap limbs, and possessed supernatural abilities and agility. Peter let out a breath and swung to the next tree. Unfortunately for the vamps, he had inhuman strength, too.
But despite the Spiders' best efforts, they didn't actually know much about vampire society. The ones the Spiders killed were usually solitary vamps acting on their own, but they'd hunted a few of the Goblin's probes, vamps sent into cities and towns to see if the people were worth stalking and feasting upon. Most of them died before spilling any information, and what little info they obtained was treasured. They'd learned that the Goblin wasn't living alone, but with a full court of thralls and monstrous allies scheming together in the shadows. Peter wasn't sure if killing him would kill his thralls, but it was absolutely worth a shot.
The trees seemed to blend together, but he kept moving forward. Before long, the gloomy, imposing spires of the castle loomed over the canopy like blackened fingers reaching towards the sky. Buttresses and arches bridged the gaps between massive stone towers capped with blood red tiles. Some of the towers hung suspended in the air, supported only by a single bridge, leaving the pointed ends to hang above the ground like knives. Dark windows lined the walls, and Peter could imagine guards observing the woods from the windows, turrets, and battlements. It was nothing short of an architectural wonder.
Landing on a tree at the border of the castle's clearing, Peter paused to catch his breath. His gloved hand tightened on a tree branch. Though he was sure he'd done everything he could to prepare for this, that didn't stop the nerves. Even though the daytime meant that the vampires were likely asleep, he was still about to walk into a den of predators all by himself.
But he was Spider-Noir, defender of the innocent, executor of justice. If no one tried first, who else would step up to the plate? Who would get justice for Uncle Ben, whose throat had been ripped out by the Goblin himself?
So after checking his pockets one more time, Peter adjusted his mask and goggles and advanced towards the castle without looking back.
~
The guards must've been either stupid, arrogant, or both, because Peter was able to slip right through the massive front doors. Were the vamps so confident in their ability to not be found that they didn't even bother locking it? He highly doubted that they'd simply forgotten.
Peter rested a hand on the pistol tucked into his belt as he crept forward. A long crimson rug stretched from the door to the double staircase at the other end of the entryway, but he kept to the shadows of the pillars on either side instead. He slung out a web and silently swung above the stairs into the next hall, which was faintly lit by wall-mounted torches. He slunk down the corridor, wondering what he'd see next. No one had been able to procure a map of the castle. Finding it had been difficult enough.
This time, he spotted two guards patrolling. He kept close to the ceiling, trying to be as silent as possible as he simultaneously advanced and eavesdropped.
"The princess might be heading back out soon," one said, deep and masculine. Peter couldn't make out any distinguishable features beneath the guard's armor from this vantage point. "Supposedly for another diplomacy mission."
"I wonder if it annoys her," the other replied with a feminine voice. "Do you remember when she walked past us on her way to the throne room a while ago? She always has that shimmery veil on, but I saw her eyes, and her eyebrows were furrowed. I couldn't tell if she was just being thoughtful or if she was miffed."
"Well, you know to stay away from any of the nobles when they get mad..."
The conversation drifted into gossip about the vampire court, but Peter's thoughts remained on the princess. The vampire king's daughter. There wasn't much intel on her either, but if he was lucky, then he could avoid her entirely. Peter continued to pick his way through the castle, following the sweeping staircases and slipping through shadowy halls. He evaded the guards he spotted, holding his breath as he moved and hunted. But the corridors were vast and twisting, and he could only hope that he was getting closer and closer to where the vampire king slept during the day. Surely he was located in the center of the castle, perhaps in one of the towers?
He had to keep going. Once the castle's denizens awoke, he would be as good as dead. He could always slip out when the sun started to set, but he didn't know if the castle would be in the same place if he left and returned.
Time blurred together, but he finally stopped in front of another pair of grand doors flanked by another pair of guards. From the looks of it, this had to be the castle's grand hall and throne room. He had to be close.
He continued past the closed doors and up the nearest stairs as stealthily as possible. His heart thumped loudly against the inside of his chest, and he cursed internally, knowing that any vampire just had to concentrate a little to hear him.
He reached the landing, and his traitorous heart immediately sank at the number of patrols walking through what he assumed to be the royal wing. Peter reached up to attach a web to the ceiling so he could walk and/or crawl up there, but the base of his skull began to buzz, and the hair on the back of his neck stood up.
He'd been able to keep his spider sense under control since he entered, but now—
A guard rounded the corner before Peter could hide, and judging from his armor and uniform, he was one of the elite guards charged with protecting the royals. His crimson eyes widened beneath his helmet at the sight of Peter.
"Intruder!" The guard barked, but Peter was already moving.
He extended both wrists to shoot balls of his black webbing at the guard, covering his mouth and securing his arms to the stone wall. Without looking to see if the guard would stay put, Peter barreled past him, flying past doors and searching for the biggest, most royal-looking one out of the bunch.
More guards poured towards him, and he rushed to meet them with fists and webs alike. He knocked some out with well-placed heels to their faces, stabbed a few others in the neck, and webbed more together so they couldn't run far. He extended a web to the ceiling and jumped—
An armored body slammed into him and sent him flying backwards, knocking the breath out of his lungs. Peter wheezed behind his mask, eyes narrowed in pain as he tried to rise. A shadow fell over him, and when he reopened his eyes fully, he found himself staring down the barrel of a shining gun held by one of eight arms.
"A spider," Doctor Octopus drawled, "crawling where it doesn't belong."
Peter grit his teeth as he rose onto his elbows and met the doctor's goggle-covered gaze. "And an octopus fresh out of water."
Doc Ock laughed roughly. The metal tentacle pointing the gun at Peter edged closer, nudging the muzzle against his chest.
"Ah, I don't care about that. More important things, you know." The doctor smirked. Two guards stood behind him, pointing their spears at Peter's chest as if they were afraid the gun wasn't going to be enough. Or maybe they were just posturing. "Like what we're going to do to you. The Goblin doesn't take kindly to intruders."
"You'd wake him up just to see little old me?"
Doc Ock snorted. "He'd have my head if I disturbed his beauty rest. His daughter, too."
There it was again, a mention of the princess. Peter frowned. "Is she like the Goblin in any way?"
"She doesn't like being disturbed, that's for sure. But perhaps your capture will finally secure her interest."
"She doesn't like you? Smart woman."
"Bah." Doc Ock wrinkled his nose. "I don't think she likes a lot, anyway."
Peter's heart raced faster as the doctor and his guards inched closer. Just how close were the Goblin and the doctor for the latter to have his own little security detail? The two of them didn't like each other, not in the slightest. They were both too arrogant, too power hungry, and the Goblin preferred to work with his own people, not outsiders. Something had changed, and he needed to find out what. The Spiders needed to know.
"Why on earth do you want a princess's attention, Doc?" Peter asked, trying to stall. "Didn't think you were that kind of fella."
"I'm not," Ock huffed. "But you know how the Goblin is. It'd be better to get work done if his daughter cooperated just a little... but I digress."
Peter's jaw clenched at the dip in Doc Ock's tone, his stomach tightening in anticipation. His eyes flicked between the tentacles as they whirred and snapped at the air.
The spider and the octopus stared at each other for a long, silent moment. Then—
He raised his wrists, bending his middle and index finger down to prepare to shoot a web, but the Doc was faster. Two more of his tentacles lashed out to pin Peter's wrists to the ground, blocking his web openings and sending him thudding back to the ground. Peter groaned as his head cracked against the cold stone, his skull screaming in protest.
Shit, wait—
"Goodnight, Spider-Man," Doc Ock taunted. "Enjoy your stay."
Something hit him in the temple, and Peter's vision swirled into darkness.