System Break

The Smoky Café was full of surprises. From its murky coffee, shady money changers, home of a secretive order of qi manipulators and in the depths of its basement an entrance to the undercity. This entrance was most likely the reason the black cloaks chose this building to operate out of.

Lafe the money changer led me down a stone ladder which was older than the café itself. With a wisp of his qi a line of orbs lit the way a few yards and ahead and behind. Before we reached the bottom I could see four floating cores who belonged to those who waited or guarded below.

At the base of the ladder was a kill room. It was covered in spikes and surrounded by horizontal slits in the wall. Qi traps were haphazardly strewn across the ceiling and a simple plank of wood was provided as a walkway across the spikes after Lafe was recognized and passed. It wasn't an impossible trap room for an advanced qi user, but it was an impeccably well defended.

After a nod to the guards Lafe led me down a corridor into a chamber which looked like it was part of the old city. The dark stone was engraved with curved lines reminiscent to Celtic and ancient Norse art. The chamber was part of a larger complex with three exits including the way we just came. Another was a corridor and a staircase, and inside the interesting chamber a familiar woman in a black cloak waited.

"This is where I leave you," Lafe said. "Although I'd love nothing more than to hang around I have appointments and clients to attend to."

The woman peered at me. "I wondered why I was summoned. Don't embarrass me further or I'll poison your liver making you piss green blood for a month."

I smiled. "Never seen you before."

She rolled her eyes, strode down the staircase and I quickly followed after a friendly wave to Lafe.

The undercity was ruined in parts, well lived in others. It was blanketed in darkness until the glowing orbs were lit by the black cloaks technique. None of them used a light source they held themselves which was interesting in itself.

As I followed I watched her swaying round ass and asked, "Why don't you use torchers or oil lanterns and preserve your qi?"

"Anyone who doesn't know this secret technique is not one of us. If you come down here with a lantern or torch you will die quicker than a drowning rat."

"Those little bastards swim surprisingly well."

She scoffed and peered at me with a sidelong glance. "I learned a few things about adventurers, but I can't work out if they are unpredictable or just insane."

She was dressed in leathers and the hugged her form showing her curves in the dim light. Her pale smooth skin was taut across her beautiful young face. She had barely any plumpness about her; her high cheekbones and long neck added to her attractiveness.

"Probably both. Most think this is just a game, and nothing is real. When you think you're immortal and your actions have little consequence in our old world it creates an opportunity to let your worst self run amok."

Her laugh was a soft and breathy lacking in high pitch that is common amongst the fairer sex. "Amazing. I'm torn between killing you all or working out a way to capitalize. Is there a way to kill an adventurer for good?"

She picked up on the word think; she was smart as she was beautiful. "That's a secret that you have to earn."

She laughed again; it was a short laugh. "Dream on." 

She led me passed a hundred different corridors, staircases, and doors. Sometimes we crossed an ancient street to another building and while I could see many cores hidden amongst the structures there were no monsters. At least I didn't hear any.

"Did you clear this area of monsters?"

"Have you visited the undercity before?"

She was able to discern information from every sentence out of my mouth. "The old man said it was full of monsters."

"Maybe we are the monsters he speaks of."

I kept my mouth closed for while she led me past two well-hidden guards into a dark granite building. She placed her finger to her lips indicating that I should be quiet as she pulled on a cord. There was no sound, but it didn't take long for the wall to begin to move.

The stone blocks which weighed several tons began to separate and create an opening which she walked through. I followed her down a corridor and into a dimly lit, smoke filled chamber. It was full of black cloaks, lounging, smoking, drinking or in heated debate.

They cast curious glances in my direction and then ignored me as she led me through the throng. She stopped in front of a table and said with a flick of her head towards me, "We're here."

The old crone stared at her and then me. She moved at a glacially slow pace as she stood. "Wait here," she croaked and then she left through the rear curtain of her alcove.

The alcove contained two semicircular, cushioned bench seats and a round table with a hole in its centre. Tubes and pipes stretch upwards through the hole and onto stands on the table. They were used for smoking whatever brewed in the bulbous container beneath.

The girl sniffed at a pipe but did not touch it. 

"What's your name?" I asked.

"I'll tell you after."

"After the meeting?"

She shrugged, leaned back and crossed her legs. We waited in silence until she relented and opened her mouth. "It's not the master you should fear it's the shade."

"What's a shade?"

She chuffed in amusement. "You're so fresh, I'm actually enjoying this." She smiled demurely and looked me up and down like I was good to eat. "It's a she and she advises the master." Then she mumbled, "Amongst other things."

"Why were you watching the campus?"

She scoffed. "Don't get ahead of yourself, I don't share secrets with outsiders even if it is nothing important."

"So its nothing important," I said with a grin.

Her mouth twisted into a smile. "Maybe, or maybe I'm misleading you with framing."

I put my elbow on the table and leaned on my hand while looking at her. "That's what I'd say if I was covering a slip."

She yawned. "This game is boring." Then she leaned forward so our faces were almost touching. "What I'm curious about is what the shade will make of you."

"Should you be divulging secrets?"

"You're about to meet them. I sent in a report about you and the next thing I know I was summoned. Instead of working on my thing now I'm sitting here with you."

"Maybe I'm going to be your new thing."

She laughed and then her eyes widened. "Shit, you could be right." She pushed herself along the bench, away from me and mumbled. "I'm not ready. Shit. I don't want one."

She was from the poor quarter, but she was a beautiful and intelligent creature. She was talented too, and I wondered if this was the start of something new. But whatever the black cloaks wanted took a back seat to my mission. I was only interested because they might prove useful and at the very least I could learn techniques just by watching them.