The Grand Weave

I handed over the silver and accepted the last batch of food from the vendor. He shook his head and wiped away the powdered dust.

"I hope you're feeding an army; that's enough to kill you if you aren't careful," he remarked as we waddled away.

"It just might! Depends on how hungry she is," I joked, motioning with my head toward Sereza carrying her own armful of bagged food.

"You're lucky you're buying the food," she replied.

We eventually made our way to a restaurant with a private booth. The hostess gave us weird looks, but she led us through since Sereza had already booked the booth.

Once alone, I summoned Chomperz, who spat out a box. We quickly packed everything inside before he sucked it back in.

Chomp!

And he was gone.

"So, how do we order?"

She pointed to the small green bell on the wall. "Ring that for service."

"Fancy," I replied, crossing my arms and leaning forward. "So, craftsman Felkin family done, who's next?"

She ran her fingers through her hair and leaned back. "Complicated, but the next two work near the Delver's District. They act as delvers for hire and spend most of the weekdays delving with newer or smaller teams."

"Like mercenaries?"

"Basically, but don't call them that. They know the dungeon in and out, so they help lead delves or serve as temporary party members. A lot of richer folk use them when they want to gain some energy to rank up."

"Sounds boring, if I'm being honest."

She grinned. "It does, doesn't it? I don't care how many floors there are. I hated delving The Labyrinth. Probably one of the most boring dungeons in the kingdom."

Her tail began to move in short, side-to-side swipes as she talked.

Sore topic I guess. Probably a lot not being said.

"Is that what you did? Ran the local dungeons to get to tier one?"

She slumped forward and rested her head on the table. "Kinda. It wasn't a fun process. The moment I could escape, I did. My father at least paid enough times to get me tiered up quickly."

My eyes narrowed. "How long have you been adventuring?"

"Uh, nearly two years after reaching tier one. For a few months, I didn't know what to do when I started adventuring away from the capital."

She'd murder me if she found out my growth speed.

Instead of continuing the interrogation, I reached over and flicked the bell. It rang silently, and I flicked it again before Sereza's fingers wrapped around my wrist.

"It's silent, but I guarantee they can hear it," she said in a deadpan voice.

I held up my hands. "Alright, sorry. Any recommendations?"

"Their fish is alright, but the best dishes are the steaks."

Eventually, a beastkin dressed in green robes knocked on the panel door. Sereza tapped the panel back twice and leaned back.

The woman, resembling a tuxedo cat with a mixture of black and white fur, slid the door to the side and bowed.

"Are you ready to order?"

"Garog steak with wilfloura sauce and something fruity to drink."

The beastkin never blinked and turned to me. "And for you?"

Those sound ridiculous.

"Uh, do you guys know what beef is?"

The server's lips twitched. "We have a few varieties, yes. Garog is the most popular."

"Can I make an odd request?"

A big, broad smile that showed pointy teeth. "Of course."

"I'll take whatever good beef you have, if you can grind it up, and season it however you like. Grill it till there's some pink left. Give me a fresh soft bun, some lettuce, and an egg, over easy. Oh, and two slices of cheese along with a sweet and tangy sauce on the side, please. And I'll take whatever drink she's having."

This time, she blinked and searched my eyes. Finally, she nodded and gave a slight bow before exiting and closing the door.

I ignored Sereza's stare and laid my head back against the cushion.

"What are you eating?"

"I'm not eating anything yet."

"You know what I mean."

"Maybe," I replied. I waved my hand to forestall the protest. "It's something from where I'm from. I doubt they'll get it completely right, but we'll see. If they do get it correct, it'll go great with those ginjo fries."

"I'm curious. Those pancakes you made that one morning with the melted chocolate sauce? Those were pretty good. If the food from your home tastes like that, I'll order one."

We made small talk for the next several minutes, and eventually, our server returned to drop off the drinks before leaving. I wasn't surprised when it reminded me of grape juice and even less surprised when Sereza pulled out a vial from her pocket and dripped its contents into the cup.

"What poison are we working on today?"

"Tier one, from a poisonous toad, nothing too crazy. Adds some sourness to the drink. Do you want to try?"

"I don't think Áine would be happy with me if I started willingly ingesting poison."

"You literally ate a disgusting tentacle organ."

"And my body has a perk for that; poison is not under that category."

We continued our conversation, but during it, I found myself relaxing even more. It felt good to just talk and banter around. It caused an ache in my chest, but I ignored it enough that the feeling went away.

Unhealthy for sure, but it works.

Once the server returned, she slid over a massive steak covered in sauce, accompanied by what looked like asparagus, but purple. It smelled good, and the meat wafted steam into the air, filling the room.

"And for you. I hope it's to your liking."

She slid over a very thick patty atop a glazed bun cut in two. The cheese, with specks of white and red, melted perfectly over the patty while the lettuce draped over the top, held down by the egg. On the side was a small cup of dark green sauce that smelled like barbecue.

I sniffed and inhaled the aroma of the seasoning.

Smells alright.

"Thank you, this is great."

She bowed and left, leaving Sereza staring at my plate.

"It's a sandwich?"

I sampled the sauce with a fingertip, finding it unexpectedly flavorful. It resembled a less sweet barbecue sauce but was quite delicious.

Having liberally coated the patty beneath the lettuce, I topped the burger with the bun, completing the meal. Before eating, I extended my hand and conjured this world's version of cheesy fries onto the plate.

"It's called a hamburger, and don't ask; as far as I know, they don't make them out of swine or pork."

I bit down, and the flavor exploded in my mouth. The patty was too thick, and the seasoning was a little strange, somewhat sweeter than usual, but it tasted damn good.

"Mmmm..."

Sereza stared.

I swiped a fry and dipped it in the sauce before sliding the plate over. "Try it."

She picked it up hesitantly and angled the burger onto the opposite side of where I took a bite. She struggled to fit the whole thing into her mouth but managed to tear a sizeable chunk away.

I waited, and she didn't disappoint.

"Ohrgh, thish is goud."

"Manners, don't talk and chew."

She glared, and I chuckled.

I agreed to split half my burger, and she shared some of her steak that tasted exactly like something I'd get back on Earth. The sauce reminded me of a red wine reduction more than anything.

We finished our meal, full as ever, and I rang the bell again.

Our server appeared and brightened at the empty plates between us. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"We're good; you can tell the chef the burger was delicious. I'll definitely come back for more."

"Burger? So that's what you call it," she said. She nodded happily and smiled. "I'll pass it along. Would you like your bill?"

Sereza nodded, and we waited until she came back. We paid and got up to leave, but then I felt something familiar at the edge of my senses.

Holding up a finger, I signaled to Sereza, and she summoned her daggers.

I opened the door a crack and leaned out just enough to peek around the corner.

There.

A group of six walked their way toward the back left, where the larger booths lay. Four men, dressed in similar black, nondescript clothes, save for a massive gash of red on the side of their stomach that crisscrossed up and around their neck, made up the majority of the group.

They looked what could best be described as thuggish. Tall, large, with rough faces and even rougher hands. They had a natural mean mug you wouldn't want to come across in an alley.

Leading them was a more petite woman, an elf with platinum blonde hair and dark purple eyes. Unlike the four thugs, her clothes were a black dress and skirt with red gloves and boots.

Despite the stark difference between them and the rest of the restaurant's patrons, they weren't the ones that made me turn.

No, the mana I recognized belonged to the person walking in the middle of the thugs, walking casually despite being obviously boxed in.

Isaac had his hood up, but I recognized the runework etched onto the fabric. His signature obsidian daggers were nowhere to be seen. Still, he had a dimensional storage, so that meant little outside of the unusual occurrence where they weren't strapped to his waist.

I motioned behind me, and Sereza crouched down to peek as well. When she saw Isaac, she glanced my way, and I nodded.

Together, we watched them move to the back and take the last booth. The woman walked in, followed by two of the thugs, then Isaac, and finally the last two.

When they sealed the door, I finally relaxed and stepped out of the booth.

"So, see you in a couple of days?" I asked.

Sereza gaped at me before her tail came up to rest above her shoulder. "W-what do you mean? Don't tell me you're not curious."

"Honestly? Somewhat, but not enough to go snooping in business that isn't mine. Isaac's a big boy; he can handle himself."

Her jaw dropped even further. "You're joking."

"No, can't say I am."

"Cyrus!"

I covered her mouth and pushed her back into the booth. "Okay, ssh! Ssh! Seriously, why should we go snooping in some obviously shady business?"

"Because it's obviously shady."

"Does not compute, sorry."

"I... a-aagh." She took a breath. "Okay, how about we spy, and if it's boring, we stop and see each other in two days?"

"Are you going to pretend to be someone's bad breath and float above their booth?"

Again with the staring, jeez.

"You're acting weird today. I didn't think much of it at first, but you're definitely acting strange."

"Just because I've learned that being curious gets you killed, in case you forgot being dragged into a separate dimension that led to a prison break and then a massive battle between worlds for me," I said with a glare.

"Does not mean I'm being weird."

I sighed and kept my mana contained as much as possible while sending it through my channels. Mana flowed like cold water and spread out like a spiderweb from my chest. Erebus appeared, and I caught him with my right hand, holding him up to meet my eyes.

"Hey, Erebus. There's no looting this time, but I'll buy you a nice big bone later. I just need you to sneak into Isaac's booth and relay what you see. Sound good?"

Erebus made a death screech in my head, and I winced from the mental damage. He stopped and tapped my face with his front leg, and I understood that he was ready.

"Alright, I'ma set you down; try not to be seen. Isaac should be able to sense you if you're not careful."

Erebus saluted and turned around, waiting for me to lower him to the ground. When I did, he skittered away, his little legs leaving tiny cuts in the stone floor.

Sereza watched him like a hawk and tracked his movements right up to where he crawled into the empty booth next to Isaac's and moved to the ceiling. From there, he slowly made his way across the edge of the wall until he came to a stop, and I felt a tug from the link.

I closed my eyes and let his memories play into mine.

The woman sat in the opposite booth. Alone. One thug stood at the panel door, and another stood in front of the girl, slightly to the side, with his arms crossed. The final two were shoulder to shoulder with Isaac, who glared at the woman.

The elven woman opened her mouth, and I noticed two sets of fangs shaped like shark teeth that looked creepily out of place on her beautiful face.

"Come on, Isaac, why won't you spill?" The woman tapped her fingers on her lap while staring sweetly at the rogue. "It's been several months, and Rex has been more than patient with you."

"And what exactly are you talking about, Urry?"

Her face lost the sweet smile, and a dark purple tentacle began to erupt from her sleeve. It didn't look like flesh, instead shifting as if made of condensed shadows.

"Don't call me that."

Isaac grinned playfully. "It's nice to see the real you come out to play. Maybe now I'll answer you."

The tentacle bulged and elongated before slapping onto the table like a wet snake. "Who was the new guy that walked in with you guys?"

Isaac paused, and I joined him.

Isaac's eyes began to swallow the light around him, and I felt his mana pulse. The guard next to the woman shifted to cover her more while the two guards beside him grabbed him on the shoulders.

The girl opened her mouth to speak, looking baffled by Isaac's reaction.

"Isaac? What the hell? Who is this guy for you to react like this?"

The thugs began to shift, and in a flash, the man's hand, previously gripping Isaac's shoulder, was now sporting two fewer fingers that flew cleanly into the air.

Isaac casually looked up and caught them with a shadow tentacle while another wrapped itself around the thug's mouth, preventing the scream from his throat.

When Isaac looked up, his eyes looked directly into Erebus's, which felt like he looked directly into mine.

In less time than it took for his eye to twitch, I felt a pulse of shadow mana flare up, and a firm hand grabbed my shoulder.

I was brought out of the memories and found Sereza pointing to the seat opposite ours.

In all its tentacled glory, Isaac's shadow clone tapped its fingers and stared directly into my eyes.

I waved. "Full disclosure, it was Sereza's idea."