8 First customer

All the children took a step back, somewhat scared, well, all except Powder, who was smiling, fascinated by the four spider-like legs.

Sevika, on the other hand, was quite terrified. Having grown up in Zaun, her survival instinct was anything but mediocre.

She knew that the danger from the boy in front of her was the greatest she had ever felt, and the idea that HER boss was so strong only made her happier; he wasn't just all talk.

Powder was the first to approach, surpassing Vi, who had recovered from her surprise.

"THAT'S AMAZING, THEY'RE BEAUTIFUL. And what's a vastaya?"

Powder began to touch the legs, caressing them and causing a smile to appear on Niko's face, who moved her hand away after a few seconds.

"Haha, that tickles, Powder. Well, the Vastaya are a race that has similarities with animals. Some appear more animal-like but with humanoid traits, others with a more human appearance but with ears and tails, things like that.

And lastly, there are those like me, shapeshifters who can alternate between both."

Sevika waved her hand to get attention.

"Boss, I've met some who are traders from Ionia, but their animal appearance, as you say, is more... animal?

I mean, they exhibit more features than you do. You look a little like a spider because of those legs but not at all."

Niko looked between his legs and Sevika, realizing she was right, he started sweating a bit before Sectio gave him an out.

"That's because I still don't control it much, the mana in the environment helps in controlling the transformation, and it's scarce around here. Currently, I can only maintain the complete form for about a minute."

In a quick attempt to avoid further questions, Niko's legs wrapped around his body as if he were a cocoon, his size began to increase, adapting a muscular human form.

[IMG here]

'Sectio, you just plagiarized Venom.'

{There's no copyright if it doesn't exist}

As Sectio was about to be visited by Marvel's lawyers, everyone except Powder took a step back upon hearing a rather deep voice that didn't seem human.

"Scary, right? I can only maintain it-"

Niko stopped his words as he felt a small push on his belly, looking down to find Powder touching the symbiote body.

"THIS IS AMAZING, YOU'RE SUPER TALL AND LOOK SUPER STRONG, IT'S LIKE A COOL SUPER-MONSTER."

Upon hearing this, both symbiote and host let out a cheerful laugh, which to others was quite a strange sight, seeing the spider legs wagging back and forth, resembling a somewhat happy dog.

Niko stroked Powder's head as he returned to his original form.

{Niko, this girl trusts you a lot, even after seeing this, instead of getting scared, she got even more excited.}

'Well, Powder has THAT personality that hasn't blossomed yet, it may influence in some way.'

Their mental conversation was interrupted by Ekko, who hugged him.

"NO MATTER HOW YOU LOOK, YOU'LL ALWAYS BE MY BRO"

"...Thanks bro"

Niko raised his hand somewhat embarrassed, stopping the others who seemed to want to join.

"Let's leave it here. I told you so you could understand things better in the future, not to have a cheesy moment."

The children, except Vi, were a little embarrassed, and the latter looked at him as if a question had suddenly appeared in her head.

"How long have you known? Why didn't you use that strength to get rid of your parents? And how do you know you're a Vastaya?"

Ekko also joined the questioning round.

"Is that why you ate so much this morning? Why are you red and white? Do you also shoot spider silk from your as-?"

"WELL, let's stop there.

Vi, I discovered this power the day those people died, I read about the vastayas before and my brothers told me about some they saw before... before they were taken from home. Ahem, I read that the vastayas are from Ionia where mana is abundant, maybe the 'awakening' of my blood took six years because of the conditions of this area.

And Ekko, I don't throw cobwebs for that place, well I'm going to work."

Sevika, for her part, didn't understand most of the conversation but she didn't care much as she was thinking about something else.

'He didn't deny he was my boss.'

Nobody attempted to stop him as all the children remained still upon hearing about their siblings. They glanced at each other with a somewhat complicated look, and Niko entered his small forge.

Sitting on the floor in a corner of the room, he leaned his head back against the wall.

'System, will it last long?'

[That's the thing about the use of Synaptic Stability]

{Uh... I'm sorry Niko}

Smiling slightly, Niko shook his head.

'It's okay Sectio, I'm the one who should apologize.'

{Why?}

'Well, I'm a blacksmith and you're a symbiote. I'll be constantly working with fire and loud noises from hammering. Do you have any idea?'

{Oh, now that you mention it... since we joined cellularly, my weaknesses don't affect me as much, and if I turn into the Rod, I'll have a solid body and my resistance will increase with its material properties}

'Hmm, does that mean you won't have weaknesses in a fight?'

{Not entirely, just because my resistance increases doesn't mean I'm immune, so if you exchange blows with someone using me in rod form, I suppose the vibrations will still affect me.}

Niko imagined the situation and began laughing, earning a confused look from Sectio.

{Did I say something funny?}

'N-no hahaha, it's just that I pictured using you as a club just like Trundle does.'

They both conversed amid laughter for a while until the forge door swung open, revealing Vi looking at him.

"...We didn't hear any noise inside so everyone got worried."

"I'm fine, just taking a little break, thanks for worrying."

Vi closed the door and leaned against it.

"You know, I don't like the idea of you being here."

Niko was surprised by her honesty and responded somewhat mockingly.

"Is it because I'm vastaya? Vi, are you racist?"

Ignoring his teasing tone, Vi looked at him with a pitying gaze. Even at 10 years old, she wasn't naive, having grown up in Zaun she was aware of discrimination, which she detested from the bottom of her heart.

"...Are you afraid we'll treat you differently?"

Somewhat surprised by the question, Niko rested his head in his hands, looking at the ceiling.

"Not in the slightest, I've spent little time with you all but I can see you're not that kind of people, especially Powder haha."

With a small chuckle, Niko turned his head to Vi.

"You know, your questions are nothing like those of a 10-year-old."

Vi rolled her eyes and pointed at him.

"You're the last person to say that."

"Hahaha, you're right."

With a bigger laugh, Niko clutched his stomach as he leaned forward.

"Vi, can you tell me what bothers you?"

The change in tone caught Vi off guard and took her some time to respond.

"I really don't understand why you're here."

"What do you mean?"

Vi clenched her fists.

"Everyone has seen what you're capable of and your strength. If you have those abilities, why don't you use them to live a better life than this? Why ask Vander for help? I hate to say it but life in Piltover is much better than life here."

Niko lifted his head, somewhat surprised, and saw tears threatening to fall from Vi's eyes.

'She really is a good person.'

"Well Vi, I ask you, what would you do, leave?"

Surprised by the question, Vi was momentarily speechless before answering.

"I wouldn't leave. I'd try to make Zaun better so Powder and the others could live well."

Rising to his feet, Niko smiled at her.

"Well, you just answered yourself."

"...But you have no reason to do it."

He simply pointed to her.

"Now I do, you all."

"..."

"...If you don't say anything, it's even more embarrassing. Forget it, I just do it because I want to, so-"

Interrupting his words, Vi, slightly taller than him, slowly approached and hugged him, sobbing.

"...Thank you, Niko..."

Somewhat confused, he pushed her away and gave her a playful smack on the head. Rubbing her head, Vi looked equally confused.

"...Why did you hit me?"

"Well, you hugging me felt weird, emm I'm sorry."

Niko, somewhat scared by Vi's current state, half sad, half angry, used one of Sectio's spider legs to wipe her tears away.

"...Next time, do it with your hand, IDIOT."

Receiving a strong smack on his head, which again he couldn't dodge, Niko watched as Vi stormed out the door.

'She got so mad she turned red, but I really can't understand why I can't dodge her.'

{...This guy is damn dense}

[What did you expect from a Spider-Man fan?]

'You're two idiots, got it? I-D-I-O-T-S.'

Ignoring the two know-it-alls, Niko headed to the forge and glanced at the metals. After a bit of mental calculation, he went to the oven where he found the thermos inside, left it in a corner, and turned on the oven, hearing the sound of hammering seconds later.

A few minutes later, he exited the room, encountering Vi who looked over his shoulder and was surprised.

Niko followed her gaze and saw Sectio in the form of a rod leaning in a corner. He quickly turned, entered the room, closed the door, and then emerged again seconds later.

"*cough* Th-the counter should be dry, and so should the sign. I'll do some things inside, and if you can borrow a ladder, that would be great."

Claggor raised an eyebrow.

"What was that?"

"What was what?"

"Never mind..."

Niko approached the counter and lifted it relatively easily, placing it on the left side of the room.

"Looks weird." Powder commented from the side, and everyone else nodded except Niko.

"Does it look ugly?"

Agitatedly waving his hands, he worried that he had offended Niko. His sister intervened to help.

"It's the opposite, idiot. It looks too good compared to the rest of the room."

Niko sighed, picked up the sign with the words 'The Last Forge' along with some paints and a brush.

"...That'll be a problem for the future. Did you get the ladder?"

Ekko rushed to a corner and grabbed a rather worn-out 10-step folding ladder.

"Here, bro."

Looking at the ladder's condition, he couldn't help but glance at Ekko, who was very excited.

"Who lent it to you?"

"An old man sold it to me for two coins. Before he left, he said it was the best purchase of my life."

Niko unfolded the ladder, setting aside the things in his hand, and started to climb. When he reached the third step, a creaking sound was heard, and with a 90-degree turn, he landed on his feet on the floor.

With a disappointed look, he glanced at the ladder and then at the others.

"Why didn't anyone warn him?"

Claggor and Mylo sighed. "By the time we realized, he already had it in his hand."

Niko turned his gaze toward Ekko, who was drawing circles on the ground, and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Wait for 2 minutes."

He took the ladder and headed to the forge, with some hammering and wood breaking. In exactly two minutes, he emerged with a striking red ladder with metallic accents and wheels at the bottom.

[IMG here]

"The wheels are for easier mobility, and at the top, there are two gears. If you turn them to the right, the ladder will no longer be fixed, and one of the support points will rise to make it longer. Well, what do you think, bro?"

Ekko was speechless, while the others looked at Niko. 'How did he do it so fast?'

Ignoring their looks, Niko gathered all the materials and asked Sevika to drag the ladder outside.

______________________________________

In the midst of the Commercial District, neon lights dominated the streets alongside the greenish atmosphere. Various shops and street vendors shouted out their businesses, hoping to attract some customers.

But a large portion of the people passing by had their attention on a group of children accompanied by the well-known Sevika.

She carried a beautiful ladder with a somewhat eye-catching design, and they watched as she moved it effortlessly with the wheels and handed it over to one of the children carrying various materials and a sign.

Niko was somewhat nervous about the people's gaze on him; he underestimated Sevika's popularity. He glanced at her, and she was looking at him with a slightly proud smile.

'Conceited.'

Ignoring her as he reached into his pockets, pulling out two swinging hooks like those used to hang a punching bag. He placed the ladder, heading towards a metal pole protruding from the storefront.

Taking out a few nails from another pocket, he made two holes in the sign and climbed the ladder to hang it up.

"Not bad, huh?"

Looking down, he saw the others nodding, so he descended and moved the ladder, placing it right in the center of the store.

Under the puzzled gaze of everyone, he climbed to the top with a brush and white, black, and green paints. Activating his flow, he started moving the brush with incredible fluidity, capturing the attention of most passersby.

Seconds passed, and more people gathered, watching as an imposing greenish-silver hammer formed on the wall of a rather unassuming shop. With one final stroke, Niko regained control of his body and descended with the materials. Taking a look at the drawing, he couldn't help but revel in it with a smile.

[IMG here]

'Eye-catching enough for the shop. Eh?'

As he turned his head, he saw a crowd of people staring at him with wide eyes, feeling somewhat intimidated. He turned and found the others looking at him amused.

Ekko quickly intervened and stood in front of him, nudging him.

"Say something, bro, it's the perfect moment."

Niko realized it and cleared his throat, walking in front of the crowd with a smile.

"It's a pleasure to introduce myself. I'm Niko, the last blacksmith of Zaun. If you need to repair any item or buy something, you can trust me to deliver the highest quality possible in the shortest time."

A man with brown hair and a beard laughed from the crowd and approached Niko with a hint of mockery.

"Kid, you've attracted more attention as an artist than as a blacksmith."

The crowd joined in the man's laughter, and a few more chuckles followed, which bothered the children. Somewhat concerned, they approached Niko, but he simply placed his right hand on his back, gesturing for them to wait, and with his left hand, he raised a thumb, pointing to the ladder and the sign.

"I'm glad you say that, sir. Besides art, as you put it, I'm also good at blacksmithing, and examples are the ladder and those hooks on the sign made by me. But well, ultimately the only way to prove it is by hiring my services, right?"

The man's smile grew wider, and he moved forward, pushing through the crowd until he stood in front of Niko.

He looked somewhat older, burly, with a scar on his cheek. He was surprised to notice that none of the children tried to approach to protect him, not even Sevika, so he drew a sword he carried on his back. This alarmed the kids, who began to move closer to Niko, but he stopped them again.

"I'm Magnus, kid. Repair this sword for me."

Niko examined the sword; it was a silver iron broadsword with many cracks, traces of blood, and it seemed to weigh around 3 kg.

"As I said before, I'm Niko, and it will be a pleasure."

He turned, gesturing for Magnus to follow him into the shop, and he agreed. While Niko headed to Sevika and the others.

"More clients may come; if you can stay and organize them, you'd be doing me a favor."

Seeing everyone nod, he entered the shop with Magnus waiting inside.

"Before I repair it, I need you to wield it."

"If you want me to teach you, you should say it directly."

Niko pointed to the broadsword.

"It's to adapt it to your movements, so no thanks."

Shrugging, Magnus began making downward cuts, moving the sword from side to side, and made a stab that surprised Niko.

'A stab with a broadsword similar to that of a rapier.'

"That's enough. I have two options to offer you. I can simply fix the broadsword or improve it."

Somewhat surprised, Magnus noticed the change in Niko's tone and smiled.

"Who wouldn't choose to improve it after seeing how serious you are?"

Niko returned the smile as he approached and held out his hand.

"One more thing, at this forge, no questions are asked to the owner."

"What do you mean-"

Before he could finish, Niko easily grabbed the sword and began to wield it in front of him. Nodding, he headed to the door behind the counter, telling Magnus to wait.

Completely surprised, Magnus stood waiting while looking at the counter, which seemed impossible not to notice in this room.

Half a minute later, loud banging was heard from the other side of the door, and Magnus felt immense heat emanating from it. At some point, Niko came out but with a vacant look and grabbed a can of blue paint before returning to the room.

After a while, the door opened again, and Magnus saw Niko, but this time he was soaked in sweat and carrying a beautiful silver weapon with a gorgeous blue gem in the center.

[IMG here]

"This..."

Niko extended the weapon as he sat on the floor.

'My head...'

"Try it out; I resized it. The broadsword was too big, so I compressed the metal, increasing its thickness and length. The gem is a piece of copper combined with blue; I thought you'd like it since you're wearing a bracelet of the same color."

Magnus looked at his wrist, where there was a blue rope bracelet, the one his daughter made for him as a charm for his safe return home. With a smile, he took the rapier and began to wield it.

With each strike, he became more excited, and when he finally reached the stab, he stopped, then performed another, and another, and another. His strikes began to change, thrust after thrust, he began to perform something similar to parries, and with an upward strike, he finished his dance.

"Wow, that was incredible, old man." Magnus looked at Niko, who looked at him amazed, and made a strange expression as he looked between him and the rapier.

"Your weapon-no, you're a monster, kid."

Niko looked at him confused, and Magnus sighed at his expression.

"You made this weapon after seeing my thrust, right? Something inside the sword seemed to start guiding me; its weight, length, thickness, every aspect told my body how to use it. It's incredible."

Not giving it much importance, Niko smiled at him and headed to the door.

"It was a pleasure serving you, Mr. Magnus."

Now it was the man's turn to be confused.

"Are you not going to charge me?"

"You're my first client; consider it a gift for the grand opening."

Magnus' face darkened, and he gave Niko a fierce look.

"Receiving this for nothing would be an insult to the weapon you created, kid."

Unlike Magnus, Niko's face became complicated.

'This guy is too sentimental.'

"If you want to pay me, advertise me among those you know; right now, that would be better than any payment."

Somewhat reluctantly, Magnus nodded and left through the door but not before tossing a somewhat heavy bag to Niko.

"Consider it an advance payment for the next time I come."

"Hehe... Come again soon."

==========================

I won't lie, I made this fanfic purely on a whim after watching Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse, Across the Spiderverse, and reading the fanfic Spider-Verse: Another Spider-Man.

So the chapters are made up on the go, I took a few days to plan some events, and I'm sorry to say that the main character will undergo character development.

Skidaddle skidoodle, hope you like the readudle.