The screech of tearing metal echoed through the junction of the Steam-Veins. Not long after, a shadow detached itself from the overhead pipes and dropped toward the metal grating. Alucent saw it mid-fall. The creature possessed six arms, with three extending from each side of its torso in a frantic, twitching arrangement. Its skin was a glossy, pitch-black material that pulsed with violet veins of corruption liquid beneath the surface.
The Shadebinder landed on the rusted grating without a sound. It crouched low. Its six clawed hands dug into the gaps of the metal floor. Then, it moved forward.
Raya stepped in front of Alucent. Her Weaveblade was already drawn. The edge reflected the dim, orange glow of the distant furnace. Without hesitation, she swung a clean horizontal arc at the creature's torso. The Shadebinder did not retreat. It parried the strike with two of its left arms. The clashing of the blade against the hardened skin produced a dull, metallic thud. At that moment, it swiped at her legs with a third arm. Raya jumped backward. As she did, her boots skidded on the wet metal walkway. This sent a spray of condensation into the air.
Gryan charged from the left. He had already revved the hydraulic piston on his right arm. This caused a high-pitched hiss to fill the tunnel. He swung a heavy metal fist toward the creature's head. The Shadebinder did not block the blow. It ducked. Its body moved with a non-human geometry. It flowed under the arc of the piston like oil. Suddenly, it lashed out with a clawed hand. The strike was precise. It tore through the metallic shoulder plating of Gryan's suit. A spray of hydraulic fluid erupted into the air. It smelled of burnt grease and chemicals. The fluid splashed onto the grating and began to drip into the darkness below. Gryan grunted and staggered to the side. He gripped his damaged shoulder. His fingers came away slick with fluid.
At that moment, Alucent raised his right hand. He held the Runequill firmly between his fingers. He focused on the space in front of the creature. He tried to stabilize his breathing.
Thread 3 is still difficult to grasp under pressure, he thought.
He began the first stroke of a Thread 3 Stun Glyph. The amber ink appeared in the air. It glowed with a faint, steady light. He moved his hand to start the second stroke. Before he could finish the third, the creature turned its head. Its faceless visage locked onto him. It abandoned Gryan and lunged toward him. Its speed blurred its form.
Alucent dove to the right. He hit the cold metal floor and rolled behind a thick, rusted pillar. The unfinished rune sizzled in the air. It dissipated into harmless sparks. He pressed his back against the cold iron of the pillar. His chest heaved. He could feel the vibration of the steam pipes through the metal. Standard scribing required stillness. It required a mind free of the noise of combat. He had neither.
Without hesitation, he reached into his coat and opened the Journal. He felt a sharp, stinging pain in his temples. Fresh script appeared on the page in elegant, flowing handwriting.
"Must the scion always seek the truth while rolling in the dirt? How droll," the text read. "The world is a machine of pressure and consequence, child. Look at the wall. The valve to the North is straining against its own nature. Give it a reason to fail."
Alucent ignored the stinging remark. Below the words, the map on the paper showed an amber dot representing himself. It was cornered behind the pillar. A specific point on the north wall was highlighted with a pulsing red warning. It was a Main Pressure Valve. It was an old model with a manual override lever. Alucent looked up. He glanced toward the wall. He saw the valve. It was vibrating violently. White plumes of steam escaped from its worn seals.
He did not issue an order. He yelled the information as he scrambled to his feet.
"It's too fast for etching!" he shouted. "Raya, Gryan, the North Valve! If we pin it there, I can blow the seal!"
Raya heard him. She did not ask for clarification. She shifted her stance from defense to bait. She tapped her blade against the metal railing to draw the creature's attention.
"Gryan, drive it back!" she yelled.
Gryan roared. His voice echoed through the junction. He ignored the fluid leaking from his shoulder. He used his remaining momentum to tackle the creature. He put his entire weight into the charge. He shoved the Shadebinder toward the designated wall. The creature screeched. Its claws dug into the grating. It left deep gouges in the rust. However, it was forced back by the sheer mass of the man.
Alucent saw the exposed brass pipe near the valve. It was vibrating with heat. It was covered in thick condensation. He knew standard ink would not take on the wet metal. It would slide off before the effect could take hold. He needed a medium that bound instantly. He needed something that carried the weight of his own intent.
Without hesitation, he brought his thumb to his mouth. He bit down hard. He felt the skin break. The warm copper taste of blood filled his mouth. The pain was sharp. It cut through his emotional instability. It centered his focus on the task.
Blood is memory. Memory holds, he thought.
He scrambled from behind the pillar. Then, he lunged toward the brass pipe. The Shadebinder threw Gryan aside with a sudden surge of strength. It turned toward Alucent. It raised three arms. Its claws glinted in the dark. As it did, Alucent slammed his bloody hand onto the hot metal of the valve. He ignored the searing sensation as the heat blistered his palm. He used his thumb to smear a crude, primal Rupture glyph directly onto the brass surface.
"Cover!" he shouted.
He finished the mark and threw himself to the floor. He rolled away from the wall. The blood-glyph flashed a dark, visceral crimson. A second later, the structural integrity of the valve failed. The pressure inside reached its limit. A concentrated jet of superheated steam blasted outward at point-blank range.
The steam hit the Shadebinder directly. It enveloped the creature's upper torso and head. The heat was intense enough to warp the surrounding metal. The thermal shock locked the creature's muscles instantly. Its glossy skin began to blister and crack. It revealed the boiling violet fluid beneath. Its supernatural agility vanished as its biology went into systemic shock. It screamed. The sound was like tearing fabric mixed with the sound of grinding metal.
Raya saw the window. She dashed into the white fog. Her eyes narrowed. She gripped her Weaveblade with both hands. She delivered a clean, horizontal slash. The blade had been coated in Ironvine Oil earlier that morning. It sheared through the creature's neck without resistance.
The head fell to the floor. It bounced once before rolling into a puddle of hydraulic fluid. The body collapsed. Within seconds, it began to dissolve into black ash and an oily residue that smelled of rot.
Raya stepped back. She exhaled. She was panting. Her chest rose and fell rapidly. She wiped a smudge of soot and ash from her cheek with the back of her glove. Gryan sat heavily on a nearby crate. He clutched his damaged shoulder. His face was pale.
"Hydraulics are shot," he said in a rough voice. "The line is severed. I am operating on half-power at best."
Alucent stood up. He looked at his hand. The palm was red. It was beginning to swell from the heat of the pipe. He wiped the remaining blood from his thumb onto his coat. Then, he looked at his empty belt where the Caster should have been.
This cannot continue, he thought.
"We used luck and blood today," Alucent said. "Next time, we need steel."
Gryan looked up. He nodded grimly.
"Yeah, we need the Reed-Caster. It is sitting on my workbench collecting dust while we bleed here. We were fools to leave it," he said.
Alucent walked over to the Voidshard Cluster embedded in the wall. The crystals were glowing with a sickly, rhythmic pulse. He held the Journal up to them. Fresh script appeared on the page.
"The Weaver sees you, scion,"the text read. "The node was never just a drain. It is a beacon. Do you hear the sound of the swarm? They are coming to see what has disturbed the silence of their web."
Alucent felt a chill that had nothing to do with the damp air, He reached out. Then snapped a piece of the Voidshard from the cluster. He wrapped it in a piece of scrap cloth, and shoved it into his pocket. At that moment, the Journal vibrated in his hand.
He looked down at the page. The map zoomed out. It revealed the larger network of the steam tunnels. Dozens of red dots were converging on their position from the lower depths. The explosion of the valve had attracted the pack.
"We cannot fight a swarm," Raya said. She had already begun to move toward the exit.
"We run," Alucent replied. "Straight to the Steamcottage."