It was very late at night, in the small hours that saw most people home safe, asleep in their beds and dreaming of better things. There were, of course, the exceptions that would find no rest tonight. Be they the insomniac, the vigilante patroller, or the restless, they were few and far between. Which made the little, secret hours of the night the best time for nefarious endeavours and clandestine meetings of the sort that required minimal interference. 

One such meeting would be held down along the coast, a generous distance from the bustle of Kingsport and the prying of the Initiative. A secluded cove was enclosed by sheer cliffs, providing perfect cover to the hidden cavern that was accessible only via sea. A little-known location, it was an ideal venue for the business that had brought Aramaeus out so late at night, and with a full complement of his own, personally trained guard. 

The process leading up to the meeting had been a slow one, as The Dread Knight had taken measures to ensure that this was not a setup, and to ascertain the integrity of his would-be customer. Background checks, information pried willingly from his extensive network of contacts, and unwillingly from the criminal element that had knowledge of the individual that had sought him out. A tiresome process, yes, but Aramaeus liked to be certain as to who exactly he would be dealing with. That, and it also served to test the patience of the client, to gauge just how serious he was about the meeting.

Finally, however, the time had come. He had arranged for his client to be picked up by a squad of his magitech-armoured soldiers, who had blindfolded the customer with a special device designed to block all forms of vision. From there, a short ride in a vehicle to a beach, where they switched to a small, silent boat that nonetheless sped across the water with breathtaking speed. Eventually it had slowed, and the squad leader had notified Aramaeus of their approach. 

He waited as the customer was helped out of the craft with professional, swift efficiency, and the blindfold device was removed. The scene that greeted the client was that of a large figure, taller even than the customer himself, clad in a full suit of black, magitech plate armour and flanked on either side by a number of soldiers wearing grey, lesser versions of the same. 

The Dread Knight made no move to approach, content to stand with his hands clasped behind his back, cloak stirring in the faint breeze as he studied the man before him. When he spoke, it was in a voice distorted and augmented by the helm he wore, yet nonetheless pleasant in a deep and refined manner. "I bid you welcome, Muscle Beach. I am The Dread Knight. I believe you wished to meet with me."

MUSCLE BEACH