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Chapter 6 - Chapter 6: Legacies and a Side Quest

Chapter 6: Legacies and a Side Quest

Adam Stiels was, for lack of a better term, living his best life. He was a PI who didn't actually have to investigate anything, a part-time chaotic agent who got paid in magical bugs, and a guy who had just made the acquaintance of Starling City's most brooding, angsty billionaire vigilante. And he'd done it all without a single salmon ladder climb. He considered that a personal victory.

"I'm basically the guy who tells the hero what to do from the safety of a chair. It's like being a video game guide, but the hero is real, and he's really, really mad at me. And you know what? That's fine. I've dealt with angsty teenagers before. This is just a bigger, more muscly version with a bow and arrow."

The phone rang, jolting Adam out of his internal monologue. It was Diggle. Adam's lips curled into a smirk. The plan was working.

"Adam Stiels, PI," he answered, his voice a little too cheerful for a man who made a living from other people's misery.

"Stiels, it's Diggle," came the gruff, no-nonsense voice on the other end. "I need you to come in. Now."

"Ooh, an ominous request. I love it. Are we talking about a secret lair? A dramatic reveal? Because I'm picturing a dramatic cape and a secret password. Is the password 'Shazam' or is that copyrighted?"

There was a long, exasperated pause on the other end. "Just get to the address I'm sending you. And don't tell anyone."

Adam's smirk widened. "Oh, my lips are sealed. Like a poorly made package from a shipping company. I'll be there in a flash. Or, you know, at a normal human pace, because my 'speed' Gu is a little more 'fast-walking' than 'running across a city in a red blur.'"

He hung up, a sense of glee filling his chest. He was going to the Arrow Cave. The sanctum sanctorum of all things brooding and crime-fighting. He was going to meet Felicity in person. He was finally going to see the salmon ladder in all its glorious, impractical glory.

When he arrived at the address, an old, dilapidated factory, Diggle was waiting for him. He was standing in the shadows, looking like a secret agent in a spy movie.

"You're late," Diggle said, his voice a low growl.

"Hey, I had to stop for a coffee. The fate of the world can wait for a good cappuccino. Besides, you know what they say: a wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to."

Diggle just stared at him, his expression a perfect mix of confusion and annoyance. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Exactly," Adam said with a triumphant grin. "It's a reference. You'll get it one day. Probably not. Let's go."

Diggle led him down into the Arrow Cave. The first thing Adam saw was the salmon ladder. It was bigger, more imposing, and somehow even more ridiculous in person.

"I have so many questions," Adam said, his eyes wide with a mock sense of awe. "One, what's the point? Two, does it have a theme song? Three, can I get one for my apartment? It would be a great conversation starter. Or a great way to break my neck. Probably both."

Oliver, who was working on a bow, looked up, a scowl on his face. "Who is this?" he demanded, his voice a deep, gravelly tone that was a perfect mix of anger and trauma.

"This is Adam Stiels," Diggle said, his voice flat. "He's the one who's been giving us the 'tips.' And for some reason, he knows way more than he should."

"I have a good eye for details," Adam said with a shrug. "And a very, very reliable source. We'll call him… 'Guido.' He's a little chatty, but he gets the job done."

Felicity, who was sitting at a computer, typing away with a fury that could only be described as a computer genius, looked up, her eyes wide. "Wait, you're the one who called Detective Lance about me? You said I was 'too smart to be innocent.' I thought that was a compliment."

"It was!" Adam said with a genuine smile. "I'm a big fan. You're a walking, talking thesaurus of nervous rambling. It's a real art form."

Felicity blinked, a small blush spreading across her cheeks. Oliver, meanwhile, looked ready to throw Adam off the salmon ladder.

"We have a problem," Oliver said, ignoring Adam entirely. "A series of bank robberies. They're too fast, too efficient. We can't track them."

"Oh, a side quest!" Adam said, rubbing his hands together with a childlike enthusiasm. "I love side quests. They're usually easy and they have great rewards. Okay, Guido, let's do this."

He closed his eyes and focused on his C-Rank Tracking Gu. He felt the buzzing sensation in his mind, and a mental image of the city, a glowing, pulsing map, appeared. He focused on the bank robberies, on the trail of money and chaos they left behind. The Gu, like a little mental bloodhound, immediately found the scent. A small red dot appeared on the map, pointing to an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town.

Adam opened his eyes. "Abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town. 434 Industrial Street. Classic villain hideout. You can't beat the classics, you know?"

Felicity's jaw dropped. "How… how did you do that? It would have taken me hours to triangulate their location."

"I have my ways," Adam said with a conspiratorial wink. He didn't have to tell them about Guido. He didn't have to explain the magic bug. He just had to be Adam Stiels, the guy who knows things.

Oliver stared at him, his face a mask of suspicion. "You're not a meta-human, are you?"

"I don't think so," Adam said, shrugging. "I'm just a guy with a lot of useless information and a really good internal GPS. Now, are we going to stand around and have an existential crisis, or are we going to stop some bank robbers? Because I'm thinking the latter."

[Mission Complete. Bank Robbers Located.]

[Reward: E-Rank Stealth Gu and 100 Coins.]

[Gu Acquired: E-Rank Stealth Gu.]

[Coins Acquired: 100.]

Adam felt a new buzzing sensation, a faint feeling of invisibility, appear in his gut. The Stealth Gu. He grinned. He was officially a part of the team. A sarcastic, chaotic, and very-much-not-a-hero part of the team.

"This is it. The big leagues. The Arrow Cave. The brooding hero. The computer genius. The morally-upstanding bodyguard. And me, the chaotic neutral of the group. I'm going to fit right in. Or get thrown out. Either way, it's going to be a good story."

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