I will never get accustomed to these freezing cold temperatures and the thin air up here.
The mountain wind was blowing Pencari's antennas in all directions forcing her to hold them down with her hands to prevent them from freezing off. The situation felt unreal and a normal person would never walk the path she was currently taking. Her heart sunk in her thorax when the bridge suddenly started wobbling after a hefty bow nearly blew her away. She quickly grabbed the steel ropes holding the bridge, reaching from the main mountain, where Scamall got built on, across the sky to a smaller rock hosting a special place. The black tower of the cities national prison reached majestically into the sky, with its upper third being draped in thick clouds. Inside the prison, however, lived not only the worst of Etherium's criminals, no. Moreso housed 'Citadel Noir' the mythical guild-hall of the Shadow Conglomerate.
Trying to not look down into the endless sky below her, Pencari once more attempted to stabilize herself on the shaky bridge. With for her quite unusual fear she remembered Bors' telling that Scamall is currently hovering at roughly 8000 meters. Way too high! fsHer kin back in the Ètomo Swamps would call her crazy if she would tell them, that she lived now for a whole year in a city built in the sky.
Ringan would be concerned about my well-being. The mantis chuckled loudly imagining the guardian's fear for her. That fact would be the tiniest of his concerns if I told him what kind of life our maker provided me with. I am a dutiful killing machine deleting those opposing lady Notitia from existence. I am a monster bound by all these new commons and restrictions this society laid on me. I feel like an outsider unable to fit in. If not for my new family, I wouldn't have made it to this place. Vulpes! Bors! And my lovely bro Micor! The following hours I dedicate to you, my family. I will return with pride and not failure. For I am Pencari Kencatikan, first mantis in an alien world. I will become a levied Shadow today; there is no doubt.
"But why is this blasted hanging bridge so poorly secured!?"
The mantis screamed in her native tongue against the howling wind, fully expecting it to answer with a shift into laughter. The scraping noises of hers got lost in the inferno of nature, trying to teach the mantis to fly.
I am an assassin for Notitia's sake. I got designed by her to have no wings. So please, guardian of the air, Sylph, grant me at least a small breather until I passed this monstrosity of a bridge. Will you? I will dedicate the dinner prayers all to you - how does that sound?
As if her silent bidding got heard, the storm suddenly got quiet around her. With awe, Pencari looked around her. The storm didn't vanish at all, but rather the entire bridge was now unaffected by the storm around her. Additionally, the air tasted remotely sweeter.
Screw dinner prayers. You get all my prayer segments of the remaining week, oh earthly representant of the nature goddess of the sky.
Pencari briefly made out the woman-like body of this quadrant's Sylph at the monochromatic backside of her right facet eye. Just when she noticed the Arcadian guardian, a gust of wind immediately dissipated the gassy body of hers, leaving the mantis alone once more on the now calm bridge.
The Veil is on my side today. So cut it out, anxiety, dear. I will get to meet my fellow Shadows for the first time, as well as that Faust guy, who gave me my past contracts anonymously. I will become an official member of the Conglomerate and finally meet the heroes I already heard so much about.
Using out the period of an artificial lack of turbulences, the mantis quickly sprinted the remaining two kilometres across the abyss, feeling nothing but joy and tension. A minute later, the citadel was finally in front of her and the aether surrounding the dark place grew dim. Growing up in a society living close with the Veil, Pencari knew what was the cause of the dark sky. She also knew that most of the citizens here in Scamall, so-called 'Purists', wouldn't be able to see this phenomenon at all. Them having cut all their connections to the arcane over many generations of neglecting their true nature caused them to grew ignorant to the Veil. Such ignorant, that they even lost their true vision. Pencari let out a deep sigh looking at the now solid ground of the reverse mountain below her.
In the current situation, I would love to trade vision with these ignorants. Unable to see all these arcane treads of death surrounding this island of pain and suffering - this citadel would be a lot more inviting for us attuned. But like this? I pity all those with our vision damned to call this place their permanent stay. Be it Shadow, warden or even prisoner. A Veil that thick can not be healthy for one's well-being. I mean I just arrived and feel already quite different...Am I afraid?
The deep thoughts immediately got dissipated by the mantis' instincts when her antennas made out the sudden vibrations of many pointy feet crawling across the citadel's smokey grey granite walls. Her primal instincts set Pencari immediately in an alerted state that rendered surprises nearly impossible to occur. The assassin's senses helped to quickly make out the source of the sounds. Without even laying her eyes on the approacher, she already had a clear mental image of them.
A body structure like an Arcadian Arachnid but lacking heat signatures in the lower body.
A cybernetically enhanced entity mimicking with their lower body the silhouette of a spider.
The form and temperature of the heat signature as well as the heart-rate gave away further details.
A middle-aged male human full of vigour and strength. Well-fed. Not a prisoner nor escapist; staff? A noticeably cool head, so no connection to the Veil: He is a purist.
Lastly, her senses checked the aura of the spidery man. Pencari relaxed noticeably:
An evil aura, but lacking malice. No aggression sensible at all: He will not attack me. Seething of curiosity: He wants to talk to me. Impressive aura of authority mixed with the killer instinct of a true assassin: That is the leader of the Conglomerate. The very signer of my contracts: Master Faust.
The whole analysis happened while Pencari rose her head to look at the person over her. She placed the universal translator embedded in her right index finger of her metal hand at her throat and let the metallic voice wander towards her opposite:
"I suspect that you are the leader of my guild, master Faust I assume? What impressive craft your lower body has. Clearly Noctec craftsmanship, going out of how silent and perfectly balanced you are skittering across the vertical. But I assume that spider thorax is not for the show alone, am I right?"
The man at the wall immediately broke out in a burst of frightening laughter while jumping from the tower's bay window down to the mantis. A silvery silky thread shot out of the artificial spider butt coordinating his fall and giving him stability. Pencari saw herself opposing her mentor now from face to face as he was now hanging upside down from the thread focussing the tough insectoid with purple eyes shimmering out of pitch-black eye sockets. A dangerous grin confirmed Pencari's analysis, and the guild master spoke with a sharp and silent voice, seething of curiosity mixed with an offer to join the alluring darkness that was his world. She couldn't help herself but desiring to inhale every single syllable that got let out of his grinning mouth. Her eyes widened upon realizing what he tried to accomplish with that breathy talk. A breath full of poisonous drugs; caused by minuscule capsules drilled in his teeth, enriching the harmless breath with harmful substances. She immediately held her air for the whole talk of his:
"Very impressive analysis even before looking at me. Lady Notitia didn't lie when saying that her pet was extraordinary.", he noticed her immediate reaction, "You even figured out my little breath trick. Your maker undersold you tenfold. You are a natural...or at least bred to be one."
The guild leader then cut the rope with his spider legs and landed on the ground, immediately fixing his attire. His widely cut and highly decorated version of her Shadow mantle indicated his undeniable importance within the guild. Reaching out his with a thick deep-purple glove clothed arm, he offered the mantis a handshake:
"As you correctly pointed out, I am indeed the leader of the guild you will today become a true member of. My name is Fraudin Faust, and I am thrilled to welcome such a talented Shadow into our reigns. Not only is your track record, while quite bloody, of the contracts sent to you flawlessly, but you have passed all my tests ahead of time. Locating me way before any other applicant, having the balls to stand your ground against me, not flinching even once and noticing my little trick. Lady Pencari, you are truly an impressive specimen."
He grew slightly uneasy, seemingly not knowing what to do now. With an apologizing shift in his voice, he continued:
"You are in fact the first who predicted my breath. Normally you would be now unconscious to be brought by me into our halls...Can you...please stop holding your breath so that I can continue my regular schedule? I know it sounds preposterous, but as long as you are no levied Shadow, getting into our halls while remaining conscious could cause quite a few issues with our defensive system. Soo-"
Frauding scratched the back of his head, and Pencari sighed proudness growing inside her guts.
I am frighteningly good! This will be a cakewalk. Well, let's have him has his way. If he needs me unconscious to assure me entering in one piece, so be it. I will have so much to brag about after this day. Micor will get green with envy when hearing about what his big sis can do.
The cocktail mix within Fraudins good-smelling breath had a surprisingly potent and immediately kicking in effect. The mantis lights went out even before her inhaled breath entered the mantis' lungs.
