The Grand Weave

I moved to the side and ignored the commotion coming from the next building over. The noise irritated me enough that I almost put on my mask just so I could openly snarl.

Sleep had fled my body the night before, and insomnia ensured it stayed away.

Now, I marched my way to the clothing shop in the early morning light. It might have been peaceful and even relaxing, but the memory poking at the edges of my thoughts tainted what little joy I might have felt.

Might need the mask anyway. There's no point glaring at Noira.

Thankfully, I made the final turn to the seamstress' building and gently knocked on the door before entering the shop.

The lights were dim, and only a sparse amount of the glow orbs lit up the room. The dim orbs cast the room in an eerie light with mannequins and long dresses looming from above.

Shuffling noises came from the back, so I walked over to one of the chairs in the corner and sat down, resting my head on the table.

At some point, a light tapping on my shoulder made me look up, and I blinked slowly at the elf in front of me. She held out a cup of steaming golden liquid.

"Uhm, try some of this. It's infused with some plants used in stamina potions. I don't know how you like your drinks, so I just made it the way I drink it," she said. In a much quieter voice, she whispered. "If that's okay."

I took a long sip of the drink, and I sipped again. The almost hot chocolate-tasting liquid warmed me on its way down, and I could feel the heat spreading throughout my body. The mental fog cleared away, and I nodded appreciatively before setting the cup down.

"Sorry about that. Rough night. Good morning. Hope it's not too early," I said.

"Oh no, it's fine." She sat down with her own cup and sipped. "I like to wake up early. Watching the sunrise is one of the perks of living in Solara."

It really was.

In the early morning, the sunrise had been one of the most beautiful things to experience. With the manor being so high up, it made the view all the more extraordinary.

For a time, we sat in silence and enjoyed the drink. Not talking felt good; the longer I sat and sipped, the better my body felt. Each new intake of the golden liquid reinvigorated me.

"Thank you, I needed that."

She nodded. "No problem.

Taking the empty cups, she gave a light bow and disappeared behind the back. When she returned, she carried an armful of packages wrapped in black sheets.

Clearing a table, she set the stacks down and organized them into four piles. She picked up the first from the largest pile and pulled off the black fabric to reveal a dark blue pullover hoodie. A coiling dragon snaked around the body amidst a torrent of thunderclouds and lightning. The details were highly intricate, looking almost painted on.

"Whoa! That's amazing," I exclaimed, running my hand over the fabric.

It's so soft, too. Damn,

"You had a few drawings of creatures in the notebook. I hope it's okay I used them for the designs," she asked.

The hesitancy and fear in her voice made my jaw drop. "What? Why would I hate this? This is so fucking cool!"

She looked relieved, yet she rubbed at the wristband covering her wrist.

I shook my head and took the hoodie. Sliding it over my head, I marveled at the feel of the fabric and how almost nonexistent it weighed as it settled on my body.

Turning around, I used the mirror to admire the design on the back. Moving felt like I wore an illusion and it seemed to catch the light in just the right way, lighting up the dragon's silhouette.

Noira looked happy, and she smiled when I grinned at her. She held out her hand, and I slid the hoodie off, handing it over.

The next hoodies were just as impressive. One was a mixture of reds and orange, sporting Zharia in gold, green, and blue.

Another, this one with a zipper, had dark green and beautiful vines wrapping around my arms and the left side of my chest.

Magnus' hoodie had white and black stripes, with what looked like reflective crystals replicated in the fabric.

Erebus' hoodie was all black with strands of white covering the limbs and back. On the hood, eight purple eyes almost glowed against the black fabric that made it.

The pants matched but were way less decorated. Opting instead for a more reserved look, they complimented the torso-wear perfectly.

Pulling the waistband up, I did a series of stretching exercises and enjoyed the way the chino joggers fit.

"Seriously, these are great," I said while lifting my knee up to my chest. "What material did you use?"

"It took a bit, but I managed to secure several bolts of gendron silk. They're tier two monsters who produce this super-resistant silk thread that when cured in an alchemy bath, becomes extra soft while still retaining its toughness. It may not look like it, but it should stop basic blades from cutting or tearing it open. There's not much cushioning though, so I enchanted it with self-repair, blunt-force resistance, and a minor cleaning enchantment. Give it an hour, and it should be good as new."

Her voice held pride and a slight smugness as she explained the enchantments.

Excited, I tapped the last two shirt-looking pieces still covered up. "These are the leather jackets?"

"Mhmm. Most of the money went into these two. There's a creature we call a pseudo-hydra. It has fast regeneration and can regrow its severed heads at least once per head. They're mana-resistant and extremely annoying to kill, but on the plus side, the leather retains many of those properties even after death."

Carefully unwrapping the item, I held the bomber jacket up and rubbed my thumb over the smooth black leather. It lacked a collar, but the black hoodie underneath solved that problem.

Throwing up the hood, I summoned my mask and donned it. After a bit of refining, I got the ink to form two swirling eyes along with what looked like large spider fangs over the sharp-toothed, jagged grin.

It looked edgy, and I felt like a hacker and parkour expert all in one.

I turned and held out my arms akimbo. "What do you think?"

She lowered her head and squeezed down on her bracelet. "It looks good. The mask... It's a nice touch."

I lowered my arms. "Is something wrong?"

She took a step back, and once she did, she looked up, her mouth parted, a surprised expression on her face.

"No, sorry. It's fine," she whispered.

Removing my hood and mask, I leaned back on the desk behind me. "Is this better?"

A nod.

So it was the mask?

"What about the last jacket? Last time, you mentioned needing a special kind of metal to slip between the lining?"

A look of relief crossed her face, and she gave a tight smile before revealing the last jacket.

Unlike the last one, this was dark maroon instead of all black. The biker jacket extended down to just slightly below my waist, and I tugged at the collar, popping it up.

"I inserted thin sheets of dwestrum throughout it; the only area without the sheets is around the neck. Same enchantments as the rest," she said after clearing her throat.

"The red collar and inner lining are pretty cool. I like the swirl design on the inside." When I turned around, she looked like she wanted to say something, so I waited.

Eventually, she pulled out what looked like a stamp. It had a lacquered dark-wood handle and a black metal stamp on the end. I didn't see the design but did notice the rune etched onto the handle and metal.

"I didn't want to assume, but if you liked the design, do you mind if I include my signature?"

"Like a designed logo placed somewhere?"

She nodded.

I shrugged. "Sure. Where do you want to place it?"

Reaching over, she flattened out the end of the right corner of each hoodie and then smoothed out the upper calf for the pants.

"Would this be fine?"

"Go ahead."

I felt mana flow through the metal, a negligible amount, but the rune on the metal lit up, and I saw it secrete a black substance speckled with bright white dots.

She pressed the stamp down, and it came away, leaving a perfectly inked symbol.

A raven surrounded by thread?

The process repeated for each article of clothing, and after she finished, she tucked the tool back into her pocket.

"Thank you," she said while lowering her head.

I bowed in turn. "Thank you for bringing life to my designs. If anybody asks, I'll point them your way."

A blush spread across her cheeks, and she cleared her throat. She muttered another thanks and pulled out a small sack of coins. When she tried to hand it over, I closed her fist and pushed her hand back towards her.

"But-"

"Keep it. In fact, here." I summoned a smaller pouch I had prepared and shoved the ten extra gold into her hands while backing away.

With a wave, I slipped my mask back on and formed a wide grin before closing the door behind me. Once I confirmed she wouldn't chase after me in protest, I chuckled and began walking down the street.

The new threads drew a lot of stares, and only too late did I realize that the amazing design Noira worked into the fabric looked even more eye-catching than the peacocks strutting in the square.

At least it isn't gaudy.

I took another ten steps before a man rushed over. He sported a dark green robe-coat combo and black pants with strange pointy shoes.

"Sir! What a marvelous design!" he reached for my arm, and I nearly summoned my spear. Thankfully, my glare made him freeze and lower his grasping fingers. "Please, who made this? What is this called?"

His words drew even more stares, and in the corner of my eye, I saw a lady tug on her partner's sleeve, pointing my way.

Instead of responding, I lifted up the edge of the hoodie, showing the stamped emblem. His face scrunched up, and he turned to whisper into the ears of another man who shook his head.

"Do you recognize that mark?"

"No. Never seen it before. Is it somebody new?"

"Maybe-"

I didn't stick around and began moving away from the crowd. As a few people started to approach, I slipped between a large fellow and ducked around another, speedily getting away from the attention.

By the time I made it out of the square and into the area with more normally acting people, I relaxed my shoulders and tugged on the jacket.

I walked another fifteen minutes before I spotted Sereza leaning against a familiar building.

When she caught sight of me, she whistled. "That's certainly a look."

"Hey, don't like it?"

"No, no," she said, holding up her hands. "It looks great. It's just weird seeing you dress in something so fancy. I'm more used to the half-shredded, rugged adventurer look, that's all. Seriously, it looks great. I don't recognize the style at all."

"I can show you the designs later if you want. She went above and beyond what I originally thought, so I can't claim any credit for these."

"Hmm. I'll have to commission something. The jacket is especially nice."

I stuck out my tongue. "I knew you would like it."

We moved to the hidden entrance and headed inside. Once inside, I heard the clang of metal hitting metal. Moving deeper, we came to the workshop where Daergo wielded a hammer, striking another blow against a glowing piece of metal.

To the left, Ernor placed his hands into the furnace and released a stream of fire. Inside, I saw a small bucket.

We waited until Daergo pulled the goggles off his head and dipped the glowing sword back into the furnace before turning to face us.

"Sereza, Cyrus! Woah, fancypants," Daergo shouted.

Ernor turned around and whistled similarly to Sereza. "Beautiful design. The craftsman must have been skilled."

"Indeed. How's it going?"

Daergo's happy expression turned sour, and a grim look crossed Ernor's face.

Sereza crossed her arms. "What's wrong?"

"Lezka hasn't returned home yet. That damn fool did something stupid, I know it," Daergo huffed, and flames spewed out. "Not the first time, but it's been a while. I'll beat him grey when he returns!"

I glanced over to Sereza, who shook her head and sighed.

"I'll ask around."

"Thank you," he said solemnly. He shook his head and clapped his hands, rubbing them together to create sparks. "Bring the majestic spirit out. Her throne is ready!"

Zharia appeared and landed on my shoulder. Ernor went to the back of the room and retrieved something from underneath a workbench.

A thin white sheet covered the object, so when Ernor presented it, Zharia leaned forward and trilled in annoyance.

Daergo laughed and pulled the sheet off, revealing what looked like a metal bird's nest. It had thin strands of metal making up its base and carving into beautiful arches on the sides. In the middle, a raised egg-shaped cone pulsed in time with the other chunks of orange crystal embedded around the nest.

Zharia hopped off my shoulder and landed in the middle, inspecting it. After a long pause, she burst into flames, and a small spark of fire lit up beneath her feet, disappearing into the orange disc below her talons.

The nest shifted, and the thin strands spun into a different configuration with six raised points, each holding a single crystal at its tip.

Bright golden flames lit up like beacons before the circular disc sucked them in, creating a swirling vortex of golden fire around the center egg.

Zharia trilled happily, and I leaned down to inspect the enchantments carved on the bottom.

"Well, do you like it?"

She snuggled in and lowered herself into the warm disc surrounded by flames. It used surprisingly little mana, but I could feel that the flames it produced were not the same as those Zharia made.

"Well, it looks like we have a satisfied customer!" Daergo exclaimed.

He clapped me on the back and nodded sagely at the little phoenix.

Sereza poked me in the side. "Why the weird look?"

I smirked. "I'm just thinking that Sturmrorex is going to be insanely jealous. I guess I need to find a storm dungeon filled with zappy crystals now."