The Grand Weave

By the time the city's walls started to come into view, I was already spinning up plans on how to take out my torturer. She was silently cruel and only spoke when I stepped wrong or leaned too far in one direction. At some point, she must have activated her movement skill because if before, I thought she was a ghost, she quite literally moved like the wind. She would appear close enough to whisper corrections into my ear, only to float away outside my vision. To put it simply, the day had been long and exhausting.

My gains were significant. In this single afternoon, I had learned half a dozen ways to move through the forest. From short, skittering bursts to near-skipping jogs, Eodyne showed me how to move in such a way that I stopped making a sound when I walked hours ago. I struggled to maintain the silence whenever I misjudged my step or failed to see obvious pitfalls, such as a twig hidden under a wet leaf. There was no way I would be able to improve so drastically within a single day's worth of practice, but I had grown beyond what I expected. Even she complimented how quickly I picked up the techniques and improved.

Since we always maintained our lead over the caravan, we stopped at the edge of the tree line. The city had cleared space about twenty meters out, leaving a clear field around the city. Since we have finally arrived at Helio, I collapsed to the ground and lay on my back. I removed Áine from my hood and plopped her on my stomach. The poor fairy was as tired as I was and wilted into my shirt.

Eodyne walked up and sat down next to me. She conjured a water flask and took a long swig before holding it near my head. "Drink it. It's gaora fruit diluted with water. It helps restore what you lost through sweating."

I don't sweat but its a kind gesture.

I tiredly grabbed it and squeezed it over my mouth. Whatever gaora fruit was, it tasted like a mix of oranges and pineapples. It had a surprisingly sweet and salty taste. I drank a few mouthfuls before handing the flask back. After resealing the cap, she moved to a crossed-leg position and stared up at the green moon. Feldrur was out in full and shone a vibrant green light down on the world. It was a sight that still brought amazement and wonder to my eyes.

"I was told that the moons were spirits who watched the world. If that's true, then someday, I want to meet Feldrur. I want to meet the entire family. There are so many questions I want to ask, so many things I want to know. But there's only one question I really care about," I said.

"And that'd be?"

"Is it fun? That's what I want to know. If they are alive and not just floating rocks in the sky, then they've been alive for a long time. And since ascending the tiers grants immortality, I might be immortal someday. I want to know if they still enjoy life, whatever form it takes."

She stared at the moon, silently sitting. After a couple of minutes passed, she casually sprung to her feet and held out a helping hand. I sent a gentle inquiry to Áine before getting up. After I received a confirmation, I used one hand to support the fairy and accepted Eodyne's help. Once I was standing again, I held out Áine, so she was able to lay a hand on Eodyne's arm. A faint glow of green light passed between her fingertips and sunk into the woman's skin.

A brief look of suspicion crossed her face, but it quickly faded as she realized what was happening. It wasn't a strong reaction, but the brief tensing of her muscles gave her away. As Áine pushed the last of her mana into her skill, I held her up and let her give Eodyne a tired boop. Áine even mentally made a boop sound, and I couldn't help but smile, knowing I was the only one who heard it.

"Take a long and deep rest. Thanks for all your help today. You're amazing, Áine." As a final goodbye, I hugged her into my chest and felt her merge back into my soulspace.

When I looked up at Eodyne, she had a severe, familiar look in her eyes, but I didn't understand why she was serious now.

"You're a good soul, spirit keeper. Don't lose that," Eodyne spoke, her voice containing that faint trace of an accent from before.

"What was that?"

She looked away and pointed her chin at the emerging lead wagon. "Thank you for the healing. Let's make our way to your usual wagon. We'll settle in before they reach the city gates. The inspection could take awhile before they let us in at this time of night, so let's use that time to rest our legs."

I nodded once and followed along. As we leisurely made our way over, I tried practicing the technique she had shown me an hour ago. It was a simple-sounding method that involved sending mana out through the base of your feet to cushion your steps. It was the method she used to leave no footprints during our run. In theory, it sounded straightforward, but in practice, it was much trickier than it seemed.

When I used my skills, mana flowed easily, instinctually. I never questioned how or why mana flowed down the channels they did and never looked beyond accepting it as a quirk of how the system works. Even when I meditated, I could trace my mana down into the pathways throughout my body. Before I left, Brelten taught me a new way to meditate to cultivate. That process required taking the already created bubble or sheath of mana around my body and using it to compress into myself. The technique Eodyne showed me was the opposite.

I had to control my mana in its neutral state and push it outside of my body. After I accomplished that, I was to shape the unguided mana and solidify it into something capable of holding my weight. At first, I thought Eodyne meant she was using the mana like a barrier, her mana acting as a hardened surface. That felt wrong, though. So I spent several minutes staring intensely at her feet when she ran. That was when I discovered that her mana wasn't hardened so much as it was concentrated together. She didn't step off the mana like it was stone. Instead, it bent and cushioned her feet like rubber or jello.

And despite that moving mana through my body felt as easy as breathing air, I struggled to push it outside of myself. By the time we neared the caravan, I was forced to give up for the time being. We hopped inside the same wagon Celanae and Igas stayed in and settled down.

"Did you have a nice day?" Celanae asked teasingly.

"Completely. I loved it so much that I don't think I ever want to run again. Do you think I can find someone that sells magic carpets in the city? Why use your legs when you can buy something to move for you," I answered sarcastically.

Celanae chuckled while Igas laughed. I studiously ignored the scowl Eodyne was sending my way.

"Better get used to it. As an adventurer, you'll never know when you'll be forced to pump those legs for hours on end. Even someone like Teddy, who has Arturous to ride, never slacks on his training. Uncle Brel used to make us run an hour and a half every morning. No matter the weather or special holiday, he would lead us around at the crack of dawn," Igas commented.

The three people in the wagon shared a strange look that seemed like a mixture of horror and fondness. I was really starting to worry about what terrors Brelten inflicted on this team. They probably have a weird case of trauma bonding with the man.

I was saved from awkwardly snapping my fingers to get them out of their reminiscing by the sound of a loud chime. The sound wasn't ear-blasting loud, but it was strong enough to drown out all background noise.

"This shouldn't take more than a dozen minutes or so. The guards will easily recognize the merchant's symbol. They'll have people check each wagon and briefly inspect the goods before they let us in. After that, we can either head to the guild house and stay there for the night, or we can see if Uzu has enough room for five," Igas explained.

Celanae sighed and tucked her book away into her robe. "I hope Uzu has the space. She has the best bathhouse in the city. I'd even sleep in the stable with Arturous if that means access to the hot spring."

"Agreed," Eodyne chimed in.

A few minutes go by when suddenly Eodyne stands up. In an instant, her bow is in her hands, and she vaults out of the wagon. Celanae and Igas immediately stood up, and I joined them. All three of us pulled out our weapons and exited the vehicle. Eodyne was nowhere to be seen, but a bright flash of light and an earth-rumbling roar came from the head of the caravan. We rushed over with Celanae in the lead.

When we got to the head wagon, I had to hold a hand up to cover my eyes when there was another flash of bright light. Squinting my eyes, I recognized Teddy's large figure standing next to Arturous. Another weaker flash blinded me, but at least I saw it coming this time. Before the light blasted out, Arturous' golden fur flashed with glowing glyphs, and I felt them radiating off the bear.

"Halt! Release him!" Came a voice from somewhere past Teddy.

Teddy kept his arms crossed but looked at Celanae. She must have understood what he wanted from her because she walked up next to the bear and raised her staff in the air. A wave of mana pulsed from the crystal embedded in the top of the wooden staff, and a massive purple dome appeared. The barrier cut off the guards, separating them from the one guard currently being smashed into the dirt by the bear's large paw. Arturous was growling deeply with his teeth fully displayed, the white fangs being easily longer than my hand. I stopped next to Igas, who positioned himself at Teddy's right.

"And you can explain why your guard tried to poison my companion. Better yet, go find Captain Graves. I'm sure she'd like to know why her men are trying to attack adventurers from the guild," Teddy commanded. His voice vibrated through the air and had a weight of authority that must have been because of a skill.

The guardsman, obviously a squad leader of the group of five guards, gnashed his teeth. "Do not try to order me around yellowstones. You don't scare me. Now release my man."

To further his point, the guardsman pulled out his sword and aimed it at the barrier, but before he could, a limb made of pure shadows snaked around his neck and revealed an obsidian dagger pressed lightly into his throat.

"I wouldn't recommend that if I were you. If I feel you activate your mana again, I'll remove your head from your shoulders. That includes the other two," Isaac whispered loud enough that everyone could hear him.

"What do you-" As the guardsman turned his head to his right and left, he found that they were both shaking in place as tentacles of shadow were wrapped around their necks like a noose.

And somehow, Isaac looks more like a demon than I do.

When the squad leader tightened his grip on his weapon, a single drop of blood dripped down the man's pale neck. With fury in his eyes, he dropped his sword and called out to his men. "Men, drop your weapons! Uliss, run to base and bring Captain Graves here immediately. Do not stop for anything."

Before who I assumed was Uliss could run off, a cold, feminine voice interrupted him. "That won't be necessary, guardsman Uliss. I'm already here." The speaker was a blond-haired woman who radiated an aura of cold steel.

Her eyes were so light that the blue looked silverish in the dim lighting. She made for an imposing figure as she stood on the wall with the wind blowing her hair backward.

Celanae matched her gaze and tapped her staff into the ground. Another wave of mana condensed and then spread below our feet. An octagonal-shaped crystal barrier sprung from beneath us and pushed us up into the air as it grew into a pillar. I spared a glance below us and saw that I could see through the platform, albeit with a lavender-coloured tint added in.

Teddy positioned himself in front of us and uncrossed his arms but held out one hand, holding a thin six-inch needle between his fingers. "Hello, Elanor. Would you explain why one of your guards tried to stick this needle into my bear?"

Her eyes narrowed, and she gazed down where Arturous was still staring at the quivering guard beneath his paw. She held out her hand and looked at Celanae. "Drop the barrier, please. I would prefer not wasting mana uselessly trying to break it." Celanae waved her hand, and the dome broke into tiny shards before fading away. Elanor bent her fingers, and the needle in Teddy's hand shot out and stopped above her palm. She examined it from tip to tip before clenching her jaw and walking to the edge of the wall. "Please release my squad leader, Isaac. It's hard to grab the man if your dagger is ready to decapitate him."

"Nah. I'll let him go if you can make me. He did try to attack us after all," Isaac sneered.

The captain's metal armour bristled. Literal spikes of metal grew out of the metal encasing her. They rose and lowered in waves, growing out like spines before returning to smooth plates.

Elanor clicked her tongue and muttered under her breath. "Insufferable rogues and equally insufferable glass daggers. Why can't you be a normal adventurer and wield steel?"

Isaac kept smiling with a shit-eating grin. When the squad leader accidentally leaned too heavily forward, he yelped in pain as the dagger at his neck drew a line of red. Isaac quickly pulled the blade away but kept his arm around the man's neck.

Teddy shook his head and cupped a hand to his mouth. "Let them go, Isaac. One needs medical attention, and the other two look ready to piss themselves. I'm sure Elanor will punish the man appropriately. And the others were just doing their job."

Isaac tapped his foot in annoyance, but he pulled back, and his tentacles receded into his shadow. After sheathing his dagger, he lowered into the ground and reappeared inside Igas's shadow.

"You never let me have any fun, you know that? Idiots should learn the consequences for being idiotic," Isaac complained.

Igas reached behind him and swung a meaty, blue arm over the smaller man's shoulders. "If that's true, then I'm sure Uncle Brel still has his puzzle box hidden somewhere. We can send him a message about how you're finally ready to be a better person and fix your ways," he joked with a sadistic look in his eye.

Isaac squirmed but didn't fade into the shadows to escape Igas' grip. "Never. Nope. Fuck the punishment box. I tossed that thing into a volcano. That god's-cursed item should not exist in this plane."

I stood like a stranger as the others bantered between each other. It made me miss Sam which only caused my anger to flare up again. To distract myself, I watched as Elanor coaxed Arturous to release her guardsman by bribing him with a child-sized piece of bloody meat. The others watched with me as Arturous snapped his teeth one last time, much to the guard's horror, before he unclenched his jaw and padded his way over to the offering like a hungry puppy.

After throwing the bloody steak into Arturous' open mouth, she held out a hand, and two chains of metal grew out of her gauntlets and wrapped themselves around the squad leader and guard. The two men remained silent as they were half dragged, half pulled into the air, until they lay behind the captain like bugs stuck in a spider's web.

"Alright! Let's get these people inside. Open the gates. I expect no more delays! When you're done, wait for replacements to take over. You five are to meet me in my office. Is that understood?" Elanor commanded. Her aura of cold steel pushed down on me, and I could feel a phantom blade press into my neck. The aura receded only when golden glyphs similar to the ones on Arturous' fur blazed across Teddy’s armour.

"Yes, Captain!" came a round of responses from the five guardsmen. Two disappeared into a doorway in the wall while the other two approached the lead driver and started talking with him.

Celanae waved her staff, and several small barriers appeared in a line to the walls like a bridge. I followed behind them and kept my spear lowered. I doubted there was any danger now that things mainly seemed resolved. As we stepped onto the stone ramparts, the purple barriers disappeared, and Elanor walked closer, dragging the two men still wrapped in chains behind her.

"Sorry about that. These are all new recruits, and Darston here was on paternity leave the last time you guys were around," Elanor said. She dragged a gauntletted hand through her hair and stretched her neck.

Suddenly, the tense attitudes all disappeared, and Celanae stepped closer and hugged the captain. "Don't worry about it. Arturous was never in danger. At most, it'd make him a little sleepy or hungry, possibly both."

Teddy waited till Celanae stepped back and then clasped the captain's wrist. "Before you ask, Cedric says hi. He's doing fine, and with some of his guards getting their first skillstones, the village is even safer. Not that there's much worry with Brelten there," he said.

Igas waved a hand but didn't move from where he stood. "The merciless blade. Captain Elanor Graves, the Chained Warden. I don't envy your need to keep appearances,"

Isaac guffawed in an exaggerated manner as he regarded the captain cooly. "Just another person who spends way too much effort on useless politics," he added.

Elanor sighed and ignored Isaac even as the squad leader started shouting curses his way. The steel chain elongated till it covered the man's mouth, effectively silencing him.

She turned her head and gave me a questioning look before looking around. "You're missing one, and added another. Where's Eodyne?"

Everyone looked at Isaac, who threw his hands up in the air and faded into the dark. He came back three seconds later and looked to the sky. "She'll be here in five, four, three, two... one."

Eodyne glided through the sky and gracefully landed on the stone wall. As she dusted herself off, her stormy eyes were extra electrifying as she held up an arrowhead coated in dark purple blood.

"There was a presence again. It was similar to but not the same one I felt last time. It was a humanoid. Stood upright and had two arms and legs. About as tall as your average male elf. I couldn't see what it looked like beyond that. It was using an ability to cloak itself," Eodyne explained.

Elanor reached for the arrowhead and inspected it. She handed it over to Celanae, and it was passed around. When Igas handed it to me, I nearly cut myself on the sharp steel. The purple blood was oily, and it shimmered in the moonlight.

Teddy noticed Eodyne's frown and put a hand on her shoulder. Both of their eyes widened in shock at something. When Elanor raised an eyebrow, Teddy gripped her arm tightly.

"There's a serious problem. You're going to have to delay your interrogation of the other guards. You have to inform your father, and we'll let the local guildmaster know."

Elanor searched Teddy's eyes before she glanced over and saw Eodyne nod at her. She looked back at Teddy and patted his hand. "If you're this serious, then okay. I'll inform the commander. But why, what's wrong?"

"I used my skills on Eodyne. I only planned on soothing some of her fatigue, but when my skill activated, it restored more than just her stamina. A massive chunk was spent removing a mental compulsion effect and minor psyche scarring."

Elanor's aura spiked and briefly pushed through Teddy's shielding. If I imagined a blade pressed into the skin of my neck now, that was joined with chains of metal whipping the air in a frenzy of chaotic strikes. The metal along the captain's arm creaked as Teddy gripped her arm tighter.

"Elanor..." Teddy said.

The aura retracted, and the captain's shoulders slumped. She raised her head and bit her lip. "Fine, sorry. Go and take Arturous with you. If anyone complains, tell them I gave you permission. I have to go and drop off these idiots at the barracks."

"Will do. We're going to go to the guild right now. We'll either be there or at Uzu's if you need us. Take care, captain."

As Elanor tightened the chains, the two men were lifted and floated above her shoulders. She approached the wall and turned, causing her captive guards to squirm in their restraints. "Teddy, it goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway. Do not discuss this with anyone except the guildmaster. If someone inquires, it will be either me or the commander. If it's not one of us, remain silent. Goodnight, everyone. And to the felkin at the back, I will obtain your name later. For now, welcome to Helio, the Third Star of Solunaria."