The hidden threat

Following Hadrian’s defeat, I interviewed what few survivors that were left from his forces. They all spoke of the same thing. An abandoned Burrows. One devoid of life. Its streets deathtraps as patrols vanished, their blood the only reminder they were even there. They spoke of armored troops, and well forged weapons. Their own woefully inadequate in comparison, mere rats better equipped than the army assaulting them. They spoke of well trained fighters, and fearless warriors. Their betters bested in battle by the most standard of their footman. They spoke of Shapers, and Warlocks. More numerous and powerful than their own, the way they destroyed those few that their soldiers couldn’t take down. They spoke of sewers, of creatures, of Salamander’s strange death. But most of all they spoke about the fear, the fear they felt when they realized their error. They had marched to crush a slum.

What they found was a fortress.

- Burrowing into Redgate’s underbelly. A comprehensive guide to the Burrows, by Jullianus Retan.

I removed my hands from the bloodied hair, checking to see if Richtus’s wound had properly closed.

Satisfied with my work I stood up, noting the puffy eyes staring back at me. I wasn’t the only who cried my heart out, the others weeping alongside me. It was a simple Burrows custom, one born from necessity. The Long Dark did not care for one’s grief, it’s tunnels unknown to the notion of respite. Those that faltered at their comrades deaths, the next to be taken.

And so we we wept for one another, treating departures as our final goodbye. For why would one falter in combat, if his struck down friend was but a walking corpse? At least there was a flip side; no parties existed that rivaled those in celebration of someone’s resurrection. At least they’ve made peace with my decision.

I rubbed my dry eyes, their earlier questioning weighing heavy on my mind. Burdened by the many lies I spewed forth, all to obscure the real truth from coming out. First came the lie about my icy blue eye color, telling them it was a Gift, something born from tribulations, not sheer stupid coincidence. It certainly was a Gift in certain ways, darkness now revealing as much as daylight, albeit in sobering black and white. But it did not come to me like my Mage Sight, born only days after the village was raided, the desire to find those that were taken from me so great that my Greed came to physical manifestation. I still remembered the pain searing my eyes, the feeling of flesh shifting, of blood boiling. The unknown knowledge that flooded my brain, what it was, how it worked, and what it could do; a sudden torrent of information. If only it was different.

My cries of anguish had pulled father from his deep depression, concern soon replaced with great worry as I explained my Gift. Our chase abandoned in favor of hiding me in the Burrows, his words of warning haunting me to this very day. Marcus listen to me. Whatever you do. Whatever you say. Don’t let anyone know the true extent of your Gift. Hide it. Lie about it. Run if you need to. Just remember to keep your mouth shut. And so I did, never sure as to why. It was not like I could compare. The specifics of one’s Gifts and Decrees were a closely guarded secret, only shared with lovers or family. For good reason. Even my squad’s Gifts and Decrees were not wholly known to me. My general ideas about them put together from their testimonies and their actions, the true extent of their power a mystery.

Still, that did not make me feel less horrid when they cheered at my deception, contend with the nugget that I could now see in the dark. Maybe that was all the eyes could do, I didn’t know. Certainly, there was agonizing pain from drinking the goblet’s blood, but it lacked the knowledge that came alongside it. Maybe it wasn’t just the eyes? What if it had changed others things inside of me? It could have removed organs, changed my blood, made me impotent. Or maybe some strange urge would overtake me, limbs moving without mental commands. Am I still in control?

My stomach churned at the thought, the pulsing falsehood beneath my feet doing nothing to alleviate it. The green summoning circle still shone brightly, the gang having lost their interest in it after they bought my second lie. It was a simple matter to convince them that my father had hired someone of Envy to power the circle. No one else had green mana, safe for ancient, brooding Balthazar below. And he would never risk going topside, the old fart far too attached to that underground garden of his.

I let out a deep sigh, growing weary of my continuous charade. I’ve been taught to mask my mana since the day I could walk, the many years of practice paying off as conscious effort turned into subconscious instinct. Heck, I even appear yellow in my sleep. Still, that did not disguise the physical manifestation of my mana. Evident by the green glow powering my summoning circle.

I studied the damnable color below me, resenting the trouble that it continued to bring. As if my Mage Sight wasn’t enough, I also had to contend with being of mixed blood. Something to be frowned upon, but not entirely without precedent. Either the Sin or the Virtue would come out on top, the winner defining the power and mana of one’s blood. But noooo. Not little Marcus. He just had be the weirdo with both Patience and Greed. It was not like it did me any good, Gifts or Decrees of Patience still absent after sixteen trying years. Except for that stupid color.

“We’re leaving,” I said, wanting to get away from this source of irritation. The rest of the group silently sprang into action. All were quiet, safe for Hammer slumping Richtus over his shoulder, and Pickle picking up my wooden footlocker. We had said our goodbyes, now was the time to silence.

“Boss, you’re not going to take that?” Gob asked, pointing at the circle. What does he mean? I looked at the circle, the rest joining in, faces scanning to see if I left something behind.

“Take what?” I asked, my search coming up empty.

“The mana, Boss. Why leave all that extra power?”

He had a good point, though we lacked the necessary equipment. “Sorry, Gob. I haven’t got any crystals on me.” I scanned the others, their heads giving a quick shake of refusal. Tough luck.

“Just put your hand on the circle, Boss,” Gob said, taking his place beside me. Should I trust him? My fingers flexed, caution slowly giving way to curiosity as I sat down on the ground, palm pressed upon the green lines crisscrossing the floor. Nothing happened. Did he trick me? “Now for the hard part, Boss. I need you to stimulate your Greed.” I need to do what, now? “Just imagine the mana being something you need to fulfill your desire, something you need to reclaim what is rightfully yours.”

I know of only one thing. I closed my eyes, slowly reciting the names of my mother and sister. Ari, Emma, Aidyn. My fingers pressed down on the cold stone floor, trying to claw their way through, grasping for something that wasn’t there. Ari, Emma, Aidyn. I was in the closet again, body brimming with the power of the circle, the man’s back turned towards me. Ari, Emma, Aidyn. I burst forth, jamming the knife as deep as I could, warm blood coating the handle. Ari, Emma, Aidyn. I pushed the limp body away, looking under the bed. Sara’s scorched face stared back at me, fingers clutching a broken pocket watch, its hands spinning wildly.

She screamed.

My eyes snapped open, revealing a dark room coated in black and white, safe for the hovering flame illuminating its center. I blinked a few more times, noting Sly’s hand below the smokeless flame, face stoic, but her eyes an odd mixture of concern and fear. Behind her stood the rest of the gang, faces neutral, their stares mimicking her emotions. I feel like a freak.

“Too quiet, Boss”

My heart skipped a beat from the raspy voice beside me. Damned demon. Gob was liable to give me a heart attack some day. I glared at the source of the sound, Gob not paying attention to my stares, his own eyes fixated on the members of my squad. “Far too quiet, Boss,” he said again, voice low, tail softly lashing at the floor. “I don’t trust ‘em, Boss. They didn’t even utter a word as you did your thing.”

So this really is goodbye. I inspected the floor, the summoning circle now devoid of light, no traces of magic to be seen. It seems like it worked. Though I didn’t feel any different, a quick inspection of my body revealing nothing of note. I turned back to Gob, his eyes still looking past me. “Did something strange happen?”

“Nothing important, Boss. You just looked really cool while doing it.” Sly’s flame briefly flickered at his words, the others twitching slightly. There’s something… but what.

“Explain.”

“Don’t want to, Boss.” Should’ve have known. Gob nodded his head towards the standing group. “Why not ask them?” And break the Silent Vigil? I like living, so that would be no. I walked past him, towards a certain section of the basement walls. “Where are you going, Boss?”

“The Lid.” I stopped in front of the wall, feet spread apart in a grounded stance. My fingers grasped the air left of me, arms slowly pulling towards me as I willed the wall to move. It took quite a bit of arm strength, like dragging along a stubborn teenager, but gradually the wall shifted aside, fitting neatly inside a hidden compartment. A fetid wind began wafting into the basement, my rags quickly pulled up as I covered my nose. Before me lay a large open tunnel, running parallel to my basement wall, albeit at a slight downwards angle. Dark wet bricks covered its interior, matched by two stone pathways flanking a channel of flowing water. Daylight streamed in through the systematically placed sewer grates, revealing the putrid liquid slowly streaming downhill, the occasional splash heard in the distance as people added their waste to the vile substance. I stepped through the opening, suppressing the urge to gag, my voice muffled by the thin cloth guarding my nose. “You coming?”

The gang said no words as they stepped into the tunnel, Sly’s flame still blazing above her hand as the other pinched her nose. There was room enough on the pathways, the rounded ceiling measuring around ten feet at its highest point. Even Hammer, a Glutton, could easily stand upright, something that was probably calculated in when they built this place. Gob peeked through the hole, eyes brightly shining as he inspected the tunnels. He quickly hopped in, my fingers already pulling at the air again, the wall slowly sliding back into place.

“Why didn’t we use this way before, Boss?”

“Cause travel here… is forbidden… during the day.” With a final grunt the wall clicked into place, its edges all but invisible to those who didn’t know what to look for. “And I don’t want Richtus to see all this.” I looked around for a small overpass, finding one a bit further up the tunnel. I moved towards it, the squad matching my pace me as Gob walked beside me. “Besides, this place is far too crowded during the night.”

Gob continued inspecting the tunnel around him, voice mumbling to no one in particular. “This place is far too sophisticated for a slum.” He turned towards me, his voice almost accusatory in nature. “You’ve been keeping secrets from me, Boss.”

“That’s rich, coming from you,” I said, finally reaching the overpass. Once across, I made for another section of wall, humoring him along the way. “The Burrows holds many secrets, Gob.” I stopped before a seemingly normal section. “Most of them hidden.” My fingers grasped at the air again, pulling the bricks aside. “And situated… beneath the… earth.” The wall slid aside, revealing a long dark corridor, big enough for two people to walk side by side. “We started calling it the Burrows for a reason. Something the Cedians seem to have forgotten along the way.”

I stepped into the bare corridor, its interior clearly visible for me as Gob’s raspy voice filled the hallway. “Let me in on those secrets, Boss. Like these tunnels for example.”

That much I could tell, the events from two years ago still fresh in my mind. But first I slid the wall back into place, after everyone managed to squeeze inside. “Shortcuts through the sewers,” I said, making my way through the dark passage. “Only those sergeant or above know where they are.” I walked down some stone steps. “We use them for rapid troop movement.” Turned some corners. “Allowing us to strike wherever and whenever we want.” Only to stop in front of a dead end, unable to hide the smile on my face. “Hadrian found that out, the hard way.”

Gob wanted to speak, but I shushed him, softly whispering my request. “See if you can hear anything move on the other side of the wall. I’ll tap you on the shoulder when I need an answer.” Gob nodded, before pressing his large ears against the wall, the pointy tips twitching as he fell into a deep concentration. Happy with his cooperation, I closed my eyes, retreating deep within myself. Sounds slowly grew fainter, till only nothingness remained. I opened my eyes again, the familiar black void stretching in all directions, broken up by countless lights, both above and below. Why my father wanted me to hide my Mage Sight was still a mystery, but I could always pretend to see far less then I actually do. And so I did, quickly shrinking the range of my vision to a large frontal cone in front of me. The sudden burden on my mind alleviated as almost all the lights snuffed out in an instant, safe for the humanoid looking one dozens of feet away from me. It’s color was that of faint dark blue, a person of only scant magical prowess, untouched by both Sin and Virtue. Probably a patrolling sewer guard. I waited till the light passed by, breaking my concentration after it suddenly veered away from me, signaling that it had turned a corner. Sound and smell began returning to me, till the void peeled away, my sight replaced by an intently listening Gob. I tapped him on the shoulder, softly voicing my question, “What did you hear?”

“One pair of footsteps, Boss. It passed by but a minute ago.”

“Good.” It seems like there were no other guards around, my Mage Sight being only able to see that which had mana. A normal guard would have been impossible for me to detect, luckily Gob’s ears seemed up for the challenge. Speaking of which. Gob had been standing in front of me, yet I could not see him. I expected to see him light up the void, especially with what stunt of him earlier. Maybe he loses all mana when collared? It could be. Or maybe it was something else. He eclipsed the fucking sun, erasing his mana signature should be child’s play. Whatever, I’ll deal with it later. “Step aside, Gob. I’m opening it.”

I slowly grasped the air again, pushing the wall aside as daylight streamed into our black corridor. I peeked outside, scanning for threats. When none came up, I stepped into the sewage tunnel, this one identical to the one we left. My squad silently entered after me, Gob following behind, eyeing them with suspicion. With some effort, I pushed the wall close, before making my way to another hidden passage.

Gob and I slowly made our way through the sewers, my sight, and his ears, the perfect combination to avoid the bothersome patrols. Not that we had to try very hard, the tunnels only sparsely guarded this day. It probably had to do with the earlier eclipse. I hope. As we neared our destination, I decided to take a break. My eyes felt heavy, and mental fatigue was making me drop my guard, the toll of using too much magic rearing its ugly head. We had taken refuge in one of the hidden passageways, Sly’s fire providing light enough for the squad to see.

I was surprised by how fast the drowsiness vanished, no more than fifteen minutes must have passed since we’ve taken shelter in this dark hallway. I expected to need at least two hours of rest, maintaining a demon’s form really cut into one’s recovery rate. I motioned the party of our departure, the squad quickly falling back into line, safe for Gob, the demon still seated on the ground. I moved towards him, noting the deep furrow in his non-existing eyebrows. “Is there a problem, Gob?”

His tail swept the floor, wings neatly folded as looked past me, his voice dark and low. “They’re weird, Boss.”

I followed his gaze, which ended at the squad standing behind me. “They seem pretty normal to me,” My head turned back to a slack-jawed Gob. “Did you crack your head, Boss? They’ve been following you this whole time, not uttering a single word.” He moved closer to Sly, pointing at her stoic face. “They clearly want to talk, yet they keep their mouth shut. It’s unnatural, Boss.”

“Not for us.” Gob looked confused, it seems he needed an explanation. “It’s a Silent Vigil, Gob.” I pointed at each member of my group. “They’ve made peace with my departure. Remember their wailing a few hours ago?” Gob nodded at my question. “That was them mourning my death, I am but a corpse now. This walk to the edge of the Burrows, their last duty. Like carrying a casket to a grave, grim and silent.”

“Why?” he asked. He dropped the Boss, he must be really curious.

I pondered for a suitable answer. “Hesitation kills you in the Long Dark. So we sever all ties when one leaves the Burrows, hoping that the lack of weight will aid them in their struggle. Give them that extra edge needed to escape its clutches.” Gob wanted to ask more, but I turned around, walking down the dark hallway. “All you need to know is that they consider me a walking corpse, not truly alive till I’ve made my way back to them.”

“So it’s about accepting death, Boss?” Gob asked as he quickly caught up with me.

“Something like that, though only few become fearless because of it.”

The demon began rubbing his hands together, his gleeful voice filling me with unease. “Good… good. These Burrows seem like a most excellent place, Boss.”

“Right…” I quickly increased my pace, distancing myself from Gob, not liking the way he occasionally chuckled to himself. He kept up the creepy display as we finished the final leg of our journey, stopping inside another sewer tunnel, this one almost next to the Lid. I grasped air once more, forcing open the last secret wall before me. Behind it lay a basement, similar to mine, safe for the lack of a summoning circle. I stepped inside, twisting around to give my final goodbye. “Lieutenant Marcus, will hereby depart! May death reject me!”

“May life revive you!” my friends answered in chorus, dropping both Richtus, and footlocker, inside, before turning around and marching down the tunnel. Gob hopped into the basement as I began pulling at the air, one last time. My head a mess of emotions as the wall slowly shifted, mind screaming insults at me as the rock obeyed my command. Get out there, mongrel! You need to tell them the truth! How do you expect to conquer your fear, if you can’t even face your friends!? Hide, weakling! Hide! Close that wall, like you closed that closet!

The taunts I could bear, but not the feeling that filled me as the wall slid into place.

Relief.

It seems I am a coward, in more ways than one.