Even though we were both exhausted from our session at the dojo, Gwen and I didn't head straight home. Instead, we decided to squeeze in one more task for the day, gathering materials Gwen needed to put together her costume.
While I had a rough idea of my own design in my head, Gwen had gone a step beyond that and drawn out full blueprints and the materials needed. We ended up going to several stores and getting materials I didn't even consider.
The base of her suit was spandex, as one would expect of a spider costume. A material that was fairly cheap and easy to get from any fabric store, while being flexible and easy to use for her work. She had gotten three different colors of dyed spandex: white, black, and pink. That was honestly where I thought costume materials began and ended, but no, there were several more layers to it.
For one, we stopped by an army surplus where she got a bunch of thin sheets of kevlar that she could layer on the inside of her suit in-between two layers of spandex for extra protection against sharp weapons as well as to an extent some smaller firearms. The added weight of the layers of kevlar all over one's body might slow down an average person, but with her powers it would barely make a difference.
In addition to that, she also got a pair of light-weight army boots that she would carve the soles out of and modify them into custom inserts, fitting them inside the costume without losing mobility or grip, and a belt that she could modify to hold gadgets.
Gadgets that she did not currently have, as long as you didn't count the web slingers, but that lack could be rectified over time as Gwen had plans of her own and I could help along with Inventor as well. There were plenty of cool ones in the Spider-Man games but I can't make all of them yet with my weak spirit stat.
She didn't stop there. Gwen also bought sheets of lightweight leather to fashion padding for her knees and elbows. It wasn't flashy, but it would protect her from nasty falls and rough landings
Our final stop was a hardware store, where we picked up crafting tools: sewing kits, strong adhesives, and even a few industrial-grade spray coatings designed to make fabrics water-resistant and slightly more durable against tearing. She wanted her suit to survive the elements, rain, dust, or getting dragged across rooftops, without immediately falling apart.
Walking out of the last store, arms full of supplies, I realized something: I'd been thinking about my costume all wrong. I was caught up on looks, imagining flashy designs and cool color schemes. Gwen was treating hers like actual battle armor, practical, tactical, and survivable.
Had she not been limited by money, I was almost certain her shopping cart would have been twice as full. But even with the budget constraints, what she was putting together already made my mental design feel downright like a Mickey Mouse costume in comparison.
Finally, with several shopping bags full of materials, we were done for the day and started making our way back home. Gwen would start her project and work on it whenever her dad was at work, while I would be diving back into the dungeon together with Jeff. With the 'tutorial' floors done, they would now get longer and more challenging. There would be an adjustment period to the new difficulty as well as learning to work together with Jeff instead of being a lone wolf.
We hopped on the subway, arms weighed down by the bags. Gwen pulled out her phone, and we squeezed into one of the seats together, sharing a pair of earphones. She shuffled through her playlist, landing on a soft rock band we both didn't mind, and we just sat there, half-asleep, as the train rattled along.
At least, until Gwen's phone autoplayed into something else entirely.
"-this is J. Jonah Jameson, and you're listening to The Bugle Podcast, the number one source for TRUTH in this city filled with lies, cowards, and now, unfortunately, masked freaks!"
Gwen winced so hard I thought she was about to rip the earbud out herself, but curiosity kept us both listening.
JJameson continued his tirade with the same barely contained rage I always remembered him having from my previous life. He sounded the same as well. I should look up what he looks like later. "It was bad enough when we had this Daredevil skulking around Hell's Kitchen in the dead of night beating up muggers like some kind of red leather boogeyman. And just when you thought the night couldn't get any more unsafe, along comes this new so-called Crusader in White, leaving behind moon shaped weapons in people's guts like a cold-hearted killer and a psychopath."
He let that hang for dramatic effect before continuing.
"But at least -at least! Those two had the decency to crawl out of whatever hole they were cowering in AT NIGHT! When the respectable… tax paying… LAW ABIDING CITIZENS were safe in their homes."
Jameson wasn't finished.
"No, now we've sunk even lower. Now we have some new masked menace, some lunatic slinging around in broad god-damn daylight, flipping and flopping through the city like it's her personally playground, not a care in the world about law enforcement."
As we were just listening to the podcast and couldn't see any video feed, the next part was hard to follow, as Jameson played videos of Gwen swinging around, taken by bystanders. But we had both seen the videos beforehand already, so nothing was lost. We simply sat and listened to the people who took the videos be amazed at the scene they were witnessing.
Gwen was smiling as she listened to the reactions. At least until a loud crash was heard, presumably one of the many times in the beginning when she messed up and fell down into a metal dumpster on the streets. At that she winced and cringed.
"And let's talk about this so-called 'costume' she is wearing." Jameson barked. "Looks like she robbed a Halloween aisle in the supermarket and wrapped a bedsheet around her head! A real role model for kids out there, right? 'Oh, look Mommy, I want to jump off rooftops too, just like the weird ghost girl!'"
He made a mockery of a child's voice, high-pitched and nasally, before shifting back to his usual gruff growl.
"My sources say her first confirmed 'heroic act', a term I'm using very loosely here, was assaulting two men in an alleyway. And get this! The man she 'saved' gave an interview to the Bugle! A Mister Maxwell Dillon! You know what he said? He said he was grateful! Grateful to a masked menace who decided to play judge, jury, and executioner instead of letting the police handle things the right way!"
"I quote him exactly word for word here: 'I just think she's cool, you know. She saved my life.' Ugh, I feel like I'm going to vomit right now. Cool? COOL? That's the message we're sending now? Swing around in your pajamas, assault some people, and you too can be a role model? No, absolutely not!"
He pounded his desk for effect. You could hear it rattling the mic, which made both of us jump a little as we were absorbed into the podcast.
"Well, you heard it here first, folks. This 'ghost' menace, this 'savior' or more accurately 'disaster waiting to happen' I'm giving her a name. That's right. Remember it. Spread it. Because it's exactly what she looks like crawling around the city."
A pause.
"THE GHOST-SPIDER!"
He followed up right after, going to a more neutral tone from the full anger he had been at for the rest of the short podcast. "And hopefully she will listen to that name and make herself, like a ghost. Unseen and non-existent. That's it for me, tune in again next time, folks."
Gwen's hand slid down her face in slow motion. "Ghost-Spider…" she muttered, the taste of defeat heavy in her voice. "Seriously? Ghost-Spider?"
I hid a grin. "Could be worse. He could've gone with something like Dumpster Diver, with how often you landed in those."
She lightly smacked my shoulder and whispered quietly. "I wanted to be Spider-Woman. It sounds cool! Ghost-Spider just sounds… ugh."
Gwen exhaled a dramatic sigh, still moping. "Maybe I can fix it later. New costume. Better videos. Rebrand myself before it sticks too hard."
"Sorry to say, but the first name usually sticks the best. I think it's too late for you, Miss Ghost-Spider."
"..."
***
We soon reached home and split up as Gwen went to work on her costume to take her mind off her new, in her opinion, lame name. Unfortunately for her, reality was setting in faster than she could sew a single stitch of her new costume. Every news article, podcast, and social media post that popped up after Jameson's podcast was parroting the same term: Ghost-Spider.
It had spread like wildfire.
It would take a few weeks for her to finish her costume from scratch, a perfect amount of time to also get some training in at the dojo in the meantime. As for me, training didn't stop at learning to throw a punch or dodge a blow. For me, training meant diving right back into the dungeon. And after the easy ride of the first five floors, today was the day things would start getting serious.
"Ready to go, Jeff?" I asked the land-shark. The little land-shark was rolling around on the carpet, playing an endless game of tag with Gali, who floated lazily just out of his reach. Even with all the toys and treats I'd ordered for him, now stacked neatly in one corner of the apartment, Jeff still preferred chasing Gali around like a manic puppy.
"Mrrr!" He barked enthusiastically, scrambling to his feet with a little shake.
[Opening the portal now! Careful when stepping in, we're past the tutorial floors now, so it could be much more dangerous.] Gali warned as she floated up to my shoulder and a portal started opening ahead of us.
I was already prepared with my weapon in my hands and stepped through as soon as the portal was wide enough, with Jeff right behind me.
The moment we crossed over, the first thing that hit me was the damp, heavy air. We found ourselves in a dimly lit subway station, clearly long abandoned as nature had begun reclaiming it. The concrete was cracked and crumbling, thick vines growing wild across the floor and creeping down the walls. Huge tree roots had burst through the ceilings and walls in places, splitting the structure. Rusted train cars sat derailed in the dark corners.
"No enemies nearby, at least." I say, lowering my stance and looking around while Jeff, who had been growling behind me, ready for a fight, also stops and sniffs the plants on the ground.
[Just got the data on this floor.] Gali chirped in my ear, her voice suddenly just a tad more serious. [Looks like the surface world here was wiped out by a nuclear war. Total wasteland above. What's left of humanity was forced underground, into these subway tunnels. Supplies are scarce, and everyone's turned on each other.]
"Lovely," I muttered.
[That's not all.] Gali continued with the 'good' news, [The people down here have been exposed to radiation for so long that most of them are… not exactly human anymore. Most have become mutated and dangerous. And there are other threats too giant mutated rats, biohazards, roaming scavenger gangs. Most of the survivors you meet will attack on sight. Diplomacy… well, let's just say don't expect much.]
"Never did." I mutter quietly. Even though I had already gotten the first human blood on my hands with the cultists on the fifth floor, it still felt surreal fighting and killing humans instead of fantasy creatures or rabid animals.
"Mrrr!" Jeff barked encouragingly, and we set out to begin our exploration.