The Grand Weave

I spun my spear and ran a finger along the blade. The bone pushed at my skin but it only cut after I applied pressure.

"Are you sure?" Teddy asked.

I glared.

He sighed and pulled out a ring. I recognized it, a similar one having saved my life not too long ago.

"Will you at least wear this?"

"You think it'll be that bad?" I countered.

"I don't know. But it could be. Even with Isaac and Sereza, the Underground is filled with opportunists."

"How's that any different from the rifts I've been in? I'm pretty sure most monsters don't give a shit."

"Fine," Teddy grumbled. "It'd be easier on us knowing you had a lifeline."

"Igas broke his. Give it to him."

"Igas is a bruiser with an armor skill."

I weaved my mana and Chomperz appeared, sucking in the potions and my spear. He slipped in and out, in less than three seconds.

"Listen, I already said no. I'm already abusing your parent's kindness," I said. Before Teddy could speak, I slipped on my mask and adjusted the colors. "The food and board I can accept. I've already taken enough from them with the earrings. Give it a rest."

Teddy frowned but tucked the ring away. "Fine. But remember that we're the tanks."

I agreed and followed him to the living room. The others were there, geared up and under disguises. Eodyne's hair was straight and blonde, and Isaac stayed covered from head to toe. Igas was a beastkin somehow, and Celenae looked like a man.

"I don't like this," Eodyne grumbled.

Igas snorted. "At least you're not fluffy. Why am I a cat?"

"Where's Sereza?" I asked, ignoring their complaints.

"At the restaurant, reserving a booth," Celenae answered.

"We good to go?"

Teddy flushed out the ring and tossed it to Igas. He caught it but turned and glared in my direction.

"Cyrus," he growled.

I moved past him and headed for the door.

Isaac sidled up, his mouth annoyingly close to my ear.

"Tendrils?" I asked, deadpanned.

Isaac huffed. "Why are you being a stubborn ass, Mask?"

"I already explained. Fuck off."

"Put it on and I will."

"Or I won't, and you can shut up."

He grasped my shoulder and forced me to stop. "If you didn't nearly die all the time, I would."

I glared and bared my fangs. "You're the lead. Don't lead us into a fight if you're so worried."

I shrugged him off and continued down the path. It was morning, so there weren't many people walking about. Those who were ignored us, and the occasional glances showed little interest in our group.

Thanks to the enchantments, our armor was hidden under a pair of dull clothes that didn't attract the eye.

The restaurant wasn't too far and as we neared, I spotted a beastkin version of Sereza. It had her face, but the fluffy tail and green fur clashed with the person I knew.

She nodded as we stopped near the door. "This is weird."

"How does it feel?"

"Like nothing. But I keep seeing my reflection in the windows. Drying my hair is enough of a problem as is. Imagine the dried blood in all that fur."

The others stopped and Teddy waved.

"Is the booth ready?" Teddy asked.

"Yes," Sereza nodded. "It'll be a tight fit, but the entrance is open, just need to head inside."

"Good. Tendrils, take point."

Isaac muscled past Sereza and grunted as he pushed the door open. The beastkin waitress from last time was there, but she averted her gaze and moved to serve a couple demanding drinks.

We piled into the same booth Isaac was in during his talk with the gang. He went first, followed by Teddy then Igas. Sereza and I entered next, with Celenea and Eodyne taking up the rear.

On the way down, I recognized an alert rune hidden around the lip of the entrance. Isaac had already flared his mana, actively flashing the black-dagger pin in his hand.

We were currently in the sewers section, the smell thankfully contained by enchantments that ran along the edge of the stone pathways.

As I inspected the enchantments, mana flared to the far right and I paused. I didn't see anything different, but mana flickered and died, originating from inside the shadows.

"You have ten seconds to explain," came a female voice.

I stared at the shadows and pointed a finger. The others turned and stared as a woman dressed in all black emerged from the corner.

Only her eyes were exposed and they glared in my direction.

"Eight seconds," she said.

"I'm sponsoring them. They're here for the market," Isaac answered. He tossed a separate pin and crossed his arms. "Do yourself a favor and fuck off. This isn't guild business."

A swell of mana engulfed the tunnel behind the woman. It tasted of ash and cold smoke. It was strong enough to distort the area behind her like a heatwave.

"Push your luck, idiot. Give me an excuse," she growled.

Isaac stayed silent, but he continued to glare. Eventually, the woman pocketed the pin and tossed him a different one.

"You're approved. But leave within three hours, or I'll hunt you down. Is that clear?"

Isaac snorted. "Don't need to tell me twice."

She continued to watch him, before eventually she turned and stepped back into the corner where her mana activated and carried her away.

I tracked her for about a second. The shadowplane hid her signature and whisked her away, throwing her downward, at least according to my senses.

After a minute, Isaac slumped forward.

"Fuck," he muttered.

"What's wrong?" Teddy asked.

"She's a tier three. Shadowheart. She's an expert smuggler and hitman, not a guardsman."

"Should we expect any trouble?"

Isaac shook his head. "No, at least I hope so. She's twice as fast as I am and is nearly impossible to pin down. We should avoid her at all costs."

"Alright. Lead the way. Quick in and out."

Sereza flicked her tail. The illusion blurred, revealing a sliver of her true tail before the fur solidified and reformed.

"We have to stop at the market first. She might come back if we don't."

"She's right," Isaac growled. "Come on, we'll visit the food stall. Buy something, don't eat it. Then we'll head toward the Pit."

Isaac led the way through a series of turns before he stopped at a blank wall. He slammed his hand onto a hidden indent near the floor as mana pulsed and was sucked into the wall.

The hidden door slid upward and revealed a bustling undercity road filled with people. We bumped shoulders as we marched through the crowd. Some avoiding us others glaring in our direction..

There was a hell of a lot more than I expected. Well over a hundred individuals were in the underground cavern. Some talked, others fiddled with something to the side. But the majority of the space was taken up by large market stalls.

Some sold questionable food; others hawked enchanted gear of varying quality.

Whenever someone would look our way, they'd take one look at Isaac and back off. It was hard to notice at first but it wasn't Isaac himself, rather the glowing pin he had on.

Quickly, he led us to the cleanest stall inside the market, one of the few not dripping with juices and covered in mystery stains. I had no idea what animal the bright neon-yellow meat came from, but it was deep-fried and covered in spices.

Isaac tossed five silvers.

The food vendor smiled with broken teeth. "Scorched or Murdered."

"Murdered," Isaac replied.

The vendor slammed open the metal hatch and released a green fog that wafted upward. Nine sticks. He shoved them into the fryer and pulled them out every five seconds to douse them in a different colored spice. With the fourth dip, the meat was no longer yellow, but rather a trash green.

He tossed the skewers into a paper bag that instantly dripped with oil, staining the road before chuckling. "Come back when you're hungry for more!"

Isaac ignored him and we moved on, spending the next three minutes in silence till he slid between an alley and stopped behind a stone building.

He sniffed the meat and retched. "Skelter Rats. Fucking disgusting."

A tendril rose and grabbed the dripping bag before launching it across the cavern.

"Right. We've been here long enough. The Pit is inside the tavern. If someone tries to pickpocket you, stab their hand. If they threaten your life, break their bones. Got me?"

"That bad?" I asked.

Sereza shuddered. "I had a bodyguard for a reason. If you don't, you'll get jumped."

"The Pit is where the civility dies, and the blood flows. Not the time to be a meek bitch."

"Understood. Lead the way," Teddy ordered.

Isaac pointed to the side alley to our right and headed in that direction.

I frowned. There was something near the broken crate.

Without waiting, I pulled out the knife strapped to my waist and threw it. It sailed through the air before puncturing the thin wood.

A screech erupted and something small jumped toward the side. It crawled along the wall, but a ghostly green dagger pierced its shell and pinned it to the stone.

The creature exploded in a wave of gold blood that turned to dust before it reached the ground.

"A summon?" I asked.

Isaac nodded. "No more questions. Whoever was the summoner knows of its death. They'll investigate soon enough."

He slid through an alley and led us toward the largest building inside the underground cavern. It was made of stone and roots shaped more like a giant potato.

A burly beastkin stood guard. His snout had half its jowl torn off, exposing snarling metal teeth.

He took one look at Isaac's pin before grunting and stepping to the side. "Hands to yourself."

Before he could look away, Isaac moved and appeared underneath the man. Shadows rose from beneath them and wrapped themselves around his leg, each one holding a black knife.

The bear beastkin froze.

"Shut it and forget we were here. Don't, and I'll take your eyes. Got it?" Isaac whispered.

The bouncer nodded slowly, not daring to breathe.

Isaac stomped, his shadows retracting before he pushed the beastkin aside and motioned for us to follow.

I blinked at the display. It had been awhile since I saw Isaac threaten someone.

Murder is a good look on him.

We entered in formation, drawing the eyes of several patrons inside the filled tavern. Beastkins, elves, and humans; they littered every table and clutched onto their mugs.

At the bar, a tall female beastkin stood out like a sore thumb, dressed in an immaculate suit.

Isaac stepped past a drunk elf who slumped to the floor and placed his palm on the counter.

"Underside."

The bartender nodded and reached a hand underneath the wood. Something clicked to the left and he walked away, mixing a drink for a different patron.

Near the stairs, a side panel had opened up. A black haze blocked the opening, but Isaac stepped through without stopping.

As soon as I shoved my head past the illusion, the world roared to life. A cacophony of noise echoed throughout the cavern.

Isaac had briefed us on what to expect. Dirt-covered ground, a crowd of people that looked ready to slit your throat, it was exactly as he described.

Another roar erupted, and I turned toward the massive colosseum that stretched beyond the tall walls. Numerous light orbs were attached to the sides. It looked like a crappy Christmas tree.

We didn't stay and gawk. As soon as we were all through, he rushed for a low wall and pushed through a second illusion.

On the other side, he stopped and pulled a map out of his dimensional storage.

"The gang's base is two blocks east," Isaac said.

"But his memory shows Desolace," Sereza said.

"Gang first," Teddy said. "As long as we take out their leader, they'll listen."

"Only because Rex keeps them stupidly loyal," Isaac muttered.

"Doesn't matter why. We can handle him even if he is tier three."

"Mask, summon," Teddy said as he activated his auras.

His buffs flooded my body in a wave of light before Teddy flexed his fingers and turned the aura invisible.

My mana split and rushed into three. Zharia, Magnus, and Sturmrorex emerged from my chest as my skills activated.

My familiars hid underneath my clothes, Zharia and Sturm snuffling under the bulk of my hood while Magnus was held in the secret pocket sewn into my robe.

Of course, as soon as he settled in, I could feel the desire to sleep from Magnus. I pressed down, booping his nose.

"After. Need you to be alert," I said.

Magnus groaned. "But it's comfortable."

"I'll peck your ear!" Zharia warned.

Magnus raised his head and pressed it against the cloth while closing his eyes.

"Thank you."

Zharia preened, and Sturmrorex pouted as he constricted tighter around my neck.

But they didn't complain, and I took position behind Teddy and Igas.

Celenae was last followed by Eodyne and Sereza flanking her.

We slipped out of the alley and marched into another. This time, we weaved through a winding path of turns and corners until we stopped before a building made entirely out of black wood.

So far the Underground had been simultaneously disappointing and more than I expected. It really was an underground den for people on the shady side, but there was a surprising level of refinement.

Somehow, I expected true slums, the kind of dirt and filth that lined the streets and marred the walls. But people kept to themselves, mingled where they wanted, and kept their tones hushed.

Then again, with a gatekeeper, I should have expected a level of organization, even if it was the underbelly of the city.

"Sense anything?"

Magnus covered his nose with his paw. "Blood."

I sniffed the air. Besides the stale air and fungus growing on the nearby wall, I couldn't smell what overwhelmed Magnus' nose.

He pawed my chest and shook his head. "Mana."

This time, I closed my eyes and shut out the world. There was something there at the edge of my perception, but that was it.

"Cy-Mask. What do you notice?" Teddy asked.

"Magnus says there is blood."

"I don't smell anything," Sereza whispered.

"Not smell," I said. "It's mana. Does anyone use blood skills?"

"Not in Rex's gang. He despises it," Isaac replied.

"Keep on your toes. Tendril, scout the area. Rain go high."

Isaac slipped into the floor and Eodyne scaled a nearby building.

We proceeded, and Magnus' unease grew. Slowly, the mana became more obvious, and I could taste the blood on my tongue. It was heavy, and viscous–a cloying strangling corruption that clawed at your flesh.

Something's wrong.

I grabbed Igas' shoulder. "The mana is getting stronger."

"I can feel it," he replied.

Mana flared from his chest and ice grew over the illusion. His armor formed and he pulled out his sword while keeping his gaze locked onto the building.

"Kick the door down?"

Teddy activated another aura; one centered around Igas specifically. "Do it."

Igas raised his foot and slammed into the door, shattering the wood. Shrapnel flew and the blood scent exploded outward.

Magnus groaned, and I summoned my spear. But nothing attacked.

Instead, a hollow, weak laugh rumbled from inside.

Isaac appeared, pushing past Igas as he rushed in.

"Urry!"

Urry raised her head, half her face missing, revealing her teeth and bloodshot eye.

"It's too late, Dawnborn. We fucked up," she spat.

As Isaac reached her, her head slumped and joined the stagnant pool of blood on the floor.

"Urry!"