The Undercity [I]

It led towards a narrow passageway, so small that Edric could barely fit. This passage spanned about 100 meters, before it opened up into a small chamber, with runes inscribed all along the walls.

"What are all the runes for?" Edric asked, as they moved towards the exit on the far end of the chamber.

"No idea, probably to ward off evil spirits. The old conquerors believed in that sort of stuff," she replied sort of dismissively, her attention focused on the light coming from the exit ahead.

~Believed in that sort of stuff? So magic and monsters are acceptable here, but not ghosts? Noted,~ Edric thought to himself, before pressing on.

The exit led into a tunnel, and for the first time since they entered the catacombs, they didn't need the magic lantern to see any more. It was as if there was a miniature sun somewhere up ahead, sending out neon-coloured light.

The tunnel sloped downwards, so apart from the rainbow-coloured neon lights, they could only see earth up ahead.

"Afina, get behind me, and take the lantern," Edric whispered, stopping suddenly. Though just faintly, he could hear people whispering up ahead.

He removed the sealing knife from the knapsack he had stolen from the village, before proceeding slowly, Afina following a few meters behind him.

Once he reached a point where he could see their figures, he stopped for a moment and got into a prone position so that it would be harder for them to spot him. He had the high ground, so if need be he could quickly rush down with the force of gravity on his side.

"That's what I'm saying. If I were jefe I would've taken over the surface the moment they ran out of food, instead, he's supplying them with it. One of my compadres higher up said they even saw him supply them with weapons. I'm telling you, he's trying to get citizenship, and once he's gotten that, he'll throw us away," one of the figures said, followed by sounds of approval from a few of the other figures around him.

"Can you even hear the words that are coming out of your mouth? Supply them with weapons? That doesn't even make sense. Why would he do that when they have more weapons than we do? And to begin with, even if he was, it's because he's trying to get them to trust him. Honestly, it's idiots like you that start wars within the faction," another voice replied in an annoyed tone.

"How did I get stationed with you idiots?" he added in a whisper, before moving further down the tunnel.

"I'm going to take a hit, I'll be back in a few minutes," he shouted back once he was some distance away.

~One less than they initially were, if I'm going to strike I suppose now is the best time,~ Edric thought to himself.

Based on the way they spoke, it was clear that they were part of some sort of criminal organization. So trying to reason with them was clearly out of the question.

"That guy thinks he's better than us," the first figure whispered, breaking the silence that had descended upon the group.

"I say we-" Before the figure could finish that sentence, Edric was upon them like a shadow of terror. Two bodies went down before they even realized what was going on -pounded over the head with the hilt of his knife.

"Fuck, it's the west union, isn't it? They're the only ones with men that big," one of the gangsters shouted, already holding up a metallic pipe.

"Who the fuck cares, get him!" another shouted. At this point, Edric had already closed the distance between them.

Although he wasn't much of a fighter and had nearly zero real hand-to-hand combat experience -apart from the few lessons of Sambo he had done with some Russian associates- he found dealing with these criminals to be extremely easy.

For some reason, the men seemed to be moving in slight slow motion, almost as if the air was somehow viscous for them. Even if it were just slowed by a few fractions of a second, that was enough for his brain to make out the trajectories of their movements, almost as if every attack they tried to pull was being telegraphed.

And so, three more fell to the ground before they could even finish their swings, and Edric stood there calmly, his cloak hiding his face within the shadow it cast, and the scythes he was carrying poking over his shoulder as if he were Death itself.

 Even after taking down so many men, his breath wasn't laboured, his movements unwavering. The remaining criminals seemed to have noticed that something was off about his speed. That he was something beyond human.

"El muerto," one of them whispered, his body shivering as he slowly took a step back.

The others began silent prayers, not taking their eyes off Edric.

~Spanish?~ Edric thought to himself in surprise, before dashing forward to his remaining victims.

His cloak flapped violently as he swung the hilt of his blade at the skulls of the remaining gangsters. Their bodies went limp instantly, eyes rolling to the back of their skulls before falling to the ground.

~So much for organized criminals,~ he thought to himself, somewhat disappointed that they weren't nearly as strong as the creatures he had come face to face with recently.

"Did you kill them?" Afina asked, again appearing behind Edric as if she were a ninja.

~With enhanced hearing, you'd think I'd notice a little girl sneaking up behind me,~ Edric thought to himself in annoyance, before frisking one of the gangsters.

"No, they're still alive. Just unconscious," he replied, before remembering the last gangster who had walked out to take a 'hit'.

He quickly rushed down the tunnel, until eventually he reached the opening. The light coming from the undercity blinded him for a moment, however after a few split seconds his eyes adjusted.

"What in the heavens is this place," he whispered in awe, looking down at the undercity below.