The Grand Weave

The following two days were ones of calm and boredom. It felt like the rain before a storm—drowsy, slow, and with no real idea of what was to come.

We only had to stop so I could use the bathroom, which was a bit of an issue when Sereza didn't understand why we were stopping.

It took some skirting around the questions, but she accepted it, and Teddy gathered us together. He pulled out a crate that let off a series of clinks as it settled onto the table.

When he opened it up, several stacks of potions were neatly laid out.

"Everyone gets three mana, two stamina, and two health. There are elemental resistances of every kind, so we each get one, along with emergency rations that'll instantly make you feel full," he explained.

I reached out for a vial of purple liquid. "I think Orsk gave these out during my first rift. Sleeper's Debt, right?"

"What's Sleeper's Debt?" Sereza asked.

"They stave off sleep, but you pay it back twofold when the effect ends, or you decide to sleep. I remember it knocking me out. Tastes like crap."

Teddy nodded. "Just in case. These are for emergency use, but you never know. They are also sometimes used to counteract passive sleep effects. They really only work if the effect is truly passive, but it's better than nothing."

After distributing the potions, he pulled out a much smaller box, one made of ornate bone with several security runes covering the lid. Mana concentrated around the actual lock in the middle, and I tasted fire.

Teddy summoned a small key and inserted it into the lock. The key lit up with blazing heat and then melted into the lock before a pop echoed out.

He popped the lid and revealed a set of seven rings. They were made of solid silver with a single line of black running through the middle.

"How did you know to grab seven?"

"If Sereza hadn't shown up, then we'd have an extra."

"I didn't take any of the real enchanted stuff since the tier difference would stress our mana channels. These are tier two. They'll be a problem if you have to wear these for an extended period, but it's powered by its own mana battery inlaid in the metal."

I took it on and slid it over my pinky. With a thread of mana, it resized and shrunk down to fit perfectly. There was no noticeable effect, so I lowered my hand and watched the others put them on. Only Sereza reacted, and she winced.

"What do they do?"

"It's a single-charge protection ring. It'll block major damage once before the enchantment fizzles out. You'll know when it happens because the ring will crack in two."

Nifty. I hope we never need it.

"Once we're at the gate, we need to meet with Elanor. After her, it'll be the guildmaster. Do you know if... Cal will contact you again?"

"No," I said, shrugging. "Not a clue, but maybe we'll know what's wrong once we reach the city."

"Hopefully. We should arrive soon."

"Yeah, about that, what's up with the creepy masked driver? Is it a person or what?"

"They're a person. All special carriage drivers from the company we hired from are dressed like that. No face, no voice, no smell, nothing identifiable. They are simply meant to deliver you to your location."

We split up for the last hour, but the light in the cabin changed to a sharper purple.

Teddy stood up and summoned the rest of his gear. "We'll be approaching the gate within the next ten minutes. Everyone, ready up."

I wore my new clothes but kept my spear inside my inventory. Everyone else quickly suited up, and Sereza put on her new bandolier.

She nodded, her face serious.

The cabin came to a stop, but Teddy frowned and peered out the window. "Something's wrong."

Celanae tapped the wall. "Is there a problem? Why are we not at the gates?"

A voice so neutral I couldn't guess the speaker's gender resonated throughout the cabin walls. "This is as far as I can take you. Per the instructions given, I will wait here for three days and nights. If passengers fail to board the cabin during that time, I will return to Solara."

She frowned. "That is unusual. What prompted this set of instructions?"

Silence.

For over a minute, the driver stayed silent. Celanae tapped the walls again, but the lights dimmed to a bright pink. "There have been conflicting reports regarding Helio. The company knows of Broken Tower's reputation. If you can return, the company will compensate for your time. The ride here and back will be free of charge regardless of information found."

"What reports? Do you know what we're walking into?"

"No." The lights dimmed until it was nearly pitch black in the cabin. "Please exit the cabin."

Isaac began pulling out his dagger, but Teddy shook his head and grabbed his wrist. The rogue scowled and pulled his mask over his face while jerking his arm free.

One by one, we exited, and Arturous leapt off the back. The city gates looked fine; there weren't missing parts or fires burning along the walls.

"Something's wrong," Eodyne said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"No guards are patrolling the top. There are no guards at the gate's entrance. Elanor would never allow this, and neither would her father."

"Isaac, Eodyne, go. Don't enter the city, not yet," Teddy ordered.

Isaac sunk into the shadows, and Eodyne rushed like a lightning bolt onto a nearby branch. From there, she zipped into the sky, and I watched her soar past the forest canopy.

When we walked toward the front of the cabin, the driver sat motionless as ever while the birds had nestled down, making their large legs disappear beneath their feathers.

Still creepy.

We set off in a jog and waited for the two to return. As we neared the gate, Isaac reappeared and shook his head. His daggers were out, but he kept them lowered.

"I can't find anyone around the entrances," Isaac commented. "There's literally nobody, and the other two gates are closed."

Eodyne dropped in from overhead and landed on a nearby branch. "Nobody's on the walls. I didn't get close enough to see inside the city."

"I guess this is what Cal meant."

"I don't like it," Igas huffed.

The gate we approached had the massive doors shut, but the smaller doors that people passed through were open wide. I tried to sense for any oddities in the surrounding area with my mana sense, but everything felt normal.

We assumed battle formation, and Teddy entered first. He motioned for everyone to follow when nothing happened, and we walked inside.

People filled the streets, going about their day. Mothers and fathers spent time with their kids while people moved from building to building, either shopping or entering to eat.

No blood, no gore, no screaming, nor chains—they all looked perfectly happy.

"I'm... confused."

"As am I," Teddy growled.

We moved slowly, and nobody noticed nor cared that we were dressed for combat. It wasn't an unusual sight, not as far as the last time we entered the city, but not a single person glanced our way.

It made me feel unseen, and a slight chill slid down my spine.

"Elanor should be near the center. Her father should be stationed there in his office."

All of us agreed to leave the citizens alone for now. They ignored us, so we continued our way through the streets. All around, people thrived and seemed perfectly fine. I watched their movements, but nothing looked off.

Every conversation sounded real, and people made appropriate and varied reactions. If they were stiff puppets, I'd have felt less concerned over the fact that even when they walked within a couple of feet of us, their eyes glided past as if we were invisible.

It took us less than half an hour to reach the center square. Teddy pointed out a tall, undecorated building, and we approached the door.

On three, he pushed it open and held up his shield. Again, nothing happened.

There were guards who talked and chatted with each other, but not a single person noticed our entrance.

"Isaac, find Elanor."

Isaac disappeared, and we stayed near the entrance.

Sereza leaned close to my ear. "This is crazy. You sure you have no idea what's happening here?"

"If I did, I would have explained it long before we neared the city gates," I whispered back. "Seriously, I'm just as creeped out as you are."

Isaac's head popped out of the ground. "Through the second door, second hallway, third room on the left. She didn't react to my appearance and ignored me when I disturbed the stack of papers on her desk. She did react to the papers being a mess, though."

"Got it, let's go," Teddy answered.

One guard stood in front of the door we needed to enter, so Eodyne knocked over a drink on the table next to him. The guard hastily went to clean up the spill, and we slipped on through.

Elanor's door was open, and Isaac waited with his back to the wall. He jerked a thumb inside, and we entered her room and shut the door.

Elanor looked the same sans the pointy grey iron. She dressed not like a guard but in everyday wear with her hair done up in a ponytail. She furiously scribbled on a piece of parchment with a pen. The only piece of metal armor that remained was two long bracers that covered her wrists and arms up to her elbows.

"Nothing. I've even yelled her name."

"Celanae, secure the room. Eodyne cut all noise. Igas, get ready in case she attacks. Isaac, prepare to disable her. Cyrus, summon Áine and Magnus. If she uses a skill, try to take the hit; we don't want to disturb the others."

"And me?" Sereza called out.

"You have paralytics?" Teddy asked. She nodded. "Then we'll use that to subdue her."

Mana blossomed in my chest, and I let the current flow into my skills. Áine appeared and landed on my shoulder while Magnus sat on my feet.

Teddy approached and used his mace to poke her papers. A thin silver chain slammed down, trapping the corner of the page, while she looked up and glared at us.

No, not us. She's glaring in our general direction. Does she think it's the wind?

"Stupid draft. Darston should have fixed it already," she muttered.

Elanor sat back in her chair and chewed on her pen while continuing to glare past us. Teddy slowly and gently knocked on the desk, but she didn't react.

"Engaging."

He lightly tapped her leg, and Elanor blasted out of her chair. Teddy raised his shield and crouched. While everyone got into position, mana began to flare.

She brushed at her leg and ignored us as she leaned down to examine her thigh.

Reaching out, Teddy gripped her shoulder, and her metal vambraces shot out with metal spikes. A purple barrier appeared and blocked one side, while Teddy's shield handled the other.

"Who—Teddy?" Elanor demanded. "When did you get here?"

"Drop the skill, Elanor. We'll immobilize you if you don't."

She looked down and saw the barrier and then looked up to see the rest of us standing ready. Her eyes darted around the room.

Isaac moved, and Igas began to emit a chill, but then she leaned away and crossed her arms. "There better be a good reason for why you've sneaked in here and cornered me."

Teddy lowered his shield but continued to keep his body tense. "Elanor... we didn't sneak in here. You didn't notice us."

She scowled. "What do you mean?"

"Something is wrong within the city. None of your men are guarding the walls or gates. All three gates except the eastern entrance are closed, and only the access door is open."

"That's impossible. I'd never let tha—"

Bang!