The Grand Weave

"You need me to leave?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yes, I do."

"Okaay. Where?"

"Helio."

"Helio? That one city?"

"Exactly," Cal said as he stroked Sturmrorex's scales. "I need my Scion to visit the... local populace."

I narrowed my eyes. "Okay. Should I be concerned?"

He said nothing and continued to lazily float around the room while giving attention to my familiars.

"Cal?"

"Being a god has many duties and troubles. But in truth, it all depends on the kind of god you are. My domain is special, and I take great pride in that. I am, however, still limited in some regards. And right now, I need you to trust me."

I summoned Chomperz, who appeared and ate my spear. He then waited as Cal floated closer and gently bumped his head into his. Chomperz rushed back inside my chest without another sound.

Cal's frown dipped deeper, but he didn't say much.

"I still don't know what your domain is. A certain someone pointedly stopped another goddess from spilling."

He stopped in place. "And hopefully, you will continue not needing to know. It's... Cyrus, it'd be better if you didn't, not yet."

The god looked ridiculous with all my familiars snuggling into him as he floated midair. His suit was made of silver streaked with pink iridescent scales, and his long red hair had part of it in a ponytail that moved with an unseen wind.

I looked into his flaming orbs and smiled. "Alright. I'll head out now then."

"That easy?" his face blossomed into a smile. "Thank you."

He gently handed me my familiars, who each waved goodbye before jumping into my chest and returning to my soulspace.

With one last wave from Cal himself, I blinked and he was gone. I stared at the ceiling of the now-empty room and stretched.

Welp, So much for relaxing for the next couple of weeks.

------------

"So you're leaving. Just like that?" Celanae asked with her arms crossed.

"Yep. Cal asked, so I gotta go." I replied.

"Would you sit down for a second and explain?"

"That's really all there is to it. I don't have any reason why or know what's up, just that he very specifically said he needed his Scion to go there."

"That's frustratingly vague," she huffed.

"Isn't it common for a god or goddess to just tell their followers to do something? It can't be that uncommon, no?"

She raised a finger, and a slab of purple crystal appeared before my nose. I turned to look, and her eyes narrowed to dangerous points.

"We both know that for you, it is uncommon."

True, but I don't exactly see the issue here.

"So what exactly is the problem?"

"Cal isn't... he's not some god of agriculture asking you to help bless a field. If he's asking you to do something, then it's serious."

I nodded. "Yeah, I figured."

"Cyrus!"

A sigh left my lips, and I leaned against her barrier. "It could be dangerous; I expect it to be. That doesn't mean I'm not going. And I have zero information on what to expect. I can't plan for something with nothing."

"You have the rest of us. You have a city filled with crafters and more that could provide something in case of emergency."

I smiled. "It's not like I wouldn't have asked you guys to come, but I wouldn't force an issue. Also, I'm very tight on gold. Spent it all on snazzy magical clothes."

If looks could kill, I might have been severely wounded by the way Celanae stared at me.

She huffed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Then where are you going?"

"To try finding someone to send a message to Sereza and see if she wanted to come with?"

She snapped, and her barrier disappeared, causing me to nearly slip backward. "There are messenger children in every district. Let's go; we'll grab one and collect the others."

"I'm serious. You don't have to go. I know this was meant to be a vacation of sorts for you all."

"I'll resist from bashing you on the head."

Celanae led the way out while quickly pulling out clothes from her dimensional storage and swapping them for her dress as we made our way toward the door.

This will be interesting.

------------------

Isaac looked... less than pleased. Igas continued to be indifferent while Eodyne and Teddy seemed deep in thought.

We quickly rounded them up and sent word out to Sereza. But it had already been over an hour, and she hadn't shown up at the mansion.

Damn, I thought she'd want to go.

Teddy looked up from his brooding, his mouth set in a firm line. "I don't like that a god would tell you where to go. And he said he broke some rules doing so?"

"So he said, I didn't sense anything wrong."

"That's not comforting," Eodyne spoke.

"I don't really know or care about the rules, so whatever is the issue, we'll figure it out."

Teddy turned to Isaac. "Can you go to the transportation guild? Find the fastest service?"

He nodded and sank into the floor.

"We'll wait for him to come back. For now, we should all prepare and get ready," Teddy turned to face me. "If Sereza doesn't arrive by the time we set off, we'll have to leave her behind."

"Understood," I replied.

"Good. I'll look through the stuff in the armory. There should be enough looted potions that'll help."

Everyone left to get ready while I stayed sitting in the chair. Everything I owned was inside Chomperz, so I didn't have anything to grab. And while I was curious about what Teddy would find, he'd tell me the relevant information once we were on our way.

It was touching that they all immediately decided they were coming along. I figured they would, but if any of them decided not to, I wouldn't have been surprised.

Thumping from behind made me roll my head and see Arturous pad his way over. His giant frame managed to squeeze through the extended archway, and he stopped near my head.

I looked up, reached both hands to the side of his massive snout, and played with his jowls. "You doing okay, Arturous? All I see you do is slumber around and munch on fish."

He growled and lowered his head until his wet nose stamped my forehead.

I laughed into his fur and watched as lines of glowing light lit up some of his golden fur. "Hey, at least one of us is getting some well-deserved rest. What do you say, though? Ready for some action?"

His jaw came loose, and I stared into the abyss as he swallowed my head. His teeth never actually bit down, and his giant tongue almost broke my nose, and I snorted.

He spat me back out, and I used his fur to wipe the drool off my head.

"Fine, I get it. I'll feed you a whole roasted carcass when we get back. Cooked and seasoned all for you."

In response, he slid to his belly and rested his massive head on the armchair, letting me have easy access to scratch his head.

I summoned my familiars, and they all took up various positions along his head and snuggled in.

The rest lasted almost an hour before Teddy returned to the room to find us chilling. When I opened my eye he shook his head and crossed his arms.

"Is it time already?" I asked.

"Yes. Isaac is with the driver. We'll be in Helio in two days."

"That's fast."

"It's an expensive service, but that's not an issue. They're wind-aspected terror birds. Stubbornly strong, and have a mean streak to anyone who isn't their bonded caretaker. But they can run for days on end, even at tier two, and they have a natural air manipulation that lets them run fast."

I patted the giant bear's head, and he lumbered to his feet while my familiars returned. Teddy offered a hand, and he pulled me up.

"Anything good from the armory?"

"I got a potion of resistance for just about everything. As well as several higher tier health, stamina, and mana restorations."

"No sign of Sereza?"

He shook his head. "Isaac went looking for her, but he couldn't find her. Sorry."

"It's fine. Let's go."

Everyone else was already outside. When we exited the mansion and saw the open gate, I had to stop.

I see why they're called terror birds; holy shit, they're huge.

They stood ten feet tall, their powerful legs looking like pillars with long talons gripping the earth. They sported royal blue feathers with varying shades of silver and white streaking the tips.

One of the birds' head swiveled without moving its neck and I blinked as I stared at triangle-shaped eyes. It squawked, and Teddy winced.

It took me a second to realize that my ring must have deafened the sound.

The driver didn't have a face. Every inch of his body was covered up in a black suit with a black skin-tight mask covering his head. The golden gloves he wore gripped the reins, and he sat staring ahead, ignoring the passengers.

The carriage attached to the massive birds was equally large, big enough to fit Arturous with some room to spare.

"I know these birds are huge, but uh... can it handle Arturous' weight?"

"The carriage is heavily enchanted. It uses materials found in tier three rifts so it won't be a problem."

We made our way out the gate, and I stared up at the bird and the motionless rider before turning to watch Arturous climb into the back of the cabin without issues. The wheels didn't even dip, and the birds didn't fuss.

Shrugging, I waved to Celanae and stepped inside the spacious cabin. Couches lined the walls, and there were even tables on which we could rest things. There were no visible light sources, but the interior glowed a soft blue.

Igas rested on the back couch near Artutous with his back facing the door, and Eodyne watched me like a hawk on the side.

Once we were all piled in, the door shut automatically, and Celanae tapped the wall beside her twice. "We're ready."

I wouldn't have known we already started moving if it weren't for the glass windows.

That's really smooth. This is better than any car I've ever been in.

I watched the city scroll by. People stared, and several pointed at the wagon as it zoomed by. The driver navigated the city with ease, as we never once stopped and only slowed down once we got near the more heavily populated streets.

Isaac appeared from Teddy's shadow and collapsed onto a nearby couch. "Couldn't find her."

"That's fi-" I was interrupted by a fierce knocking.

It came from the door.

Celanae stood and stared as another series of sharp knocks pounded against the wood. She rushed over, and when she slid the door a crack, a cloud of green smoke spilled through.

Celanae backed up as Sereza reformed and flopped to the ground. Her chest rose rapidly as she audibly panted with her hair covering her face.

"Sereza?" Celanae asked.

"Here! I'm... here. Your carriage is too fast... couldn't catch up," she sputtered.

Isaac glared from the couch and sunk below the table.

I summoned Áine, and she flew over and gently tapped Sereza's horns. Sereza puffed and blew the hair out of her face while looking up at the little fairy who booped her nose.

As her breathing relaxed, Sereza sat up. "That's a crazy letter, super vague. Why are we rushing to Helio? Do you know how hard it was to get people to focus on things other than the party and Teddy's parents?"

Celanae shook her head and summed up a pile of books while Sereza took in the group.

I grinned and leaned back, resting my head on the cushion behind me. "Not a fucking clue."