The underground sewers were built upon Oldeth's founding so that the waste from such a colossal number of its people might be dumped to the sea. Since then that number had only grown, and now the network was beyond the ability of more than a few to navigate in full.
Around a table, those few sat in their entirety.
"Why are we still waiting, if Spider is a coward then that doesn't mean we need to respect him anymore," grumbled Vector. A very rare breed of land titan not affiliated with the Earth Knights of the Western Army, Vector was an 8 foot tall monster of strength and a very fitting image for the Syndicate's muscle in the underworld.
"He sent assassins south. You know that, so all he needs to do now is await for their return and he'll kill this Kenji and his whole damned 'Hero guild'. Then it'll be business as usual," Armistice hissed, the snake-woman covered in a dizzying array of purple, pink, and white scales. Each held enough poison to kill a horse, and even all together they could not match a single drop of Spider's poison. There was a reason she stood up for him, Vector knew. Knew of the strange drugs Spider had bought from a witch in Essenark, knew of secret poison formulas, knew of promises of power. After all that, the once-respected alchemist was basically Spider's pet.
But those assassins were different. How Spider had trained and equipped those three to be so potent killers was still beyond him, but he was thankful in away. Other than stepping on his turf by removing 'problems' it had been those three that had killed Rhino, vector's old boss, and paved the way for his seat to be filled.
"Perhaps he has more werewolf pups,' grinned the red-skinned face of Red Colon. The half-human, half red orc was as depraved a creature as any vector had known. His background was a mystery, but his skill at training slaves was unmatched. Even now slave-warriors bearing the brand of the Red Arse guarded every adjoining sewer, their loyalty unquestioned, their willingness to die at their master's whim fanatical. "If you think he has, I would love more. So strong, you should see how my latest experiment has gone."
Despite the hundreds Vector had ordered to be killed, despite the dozens he had killed himself, his stomach still turned when a creature shuddered free from the dark behind Red Colon. Covered in shining leather, gums pinned back, the mewling wretch that was once a proud werewolf seemed so pitiful even vector wanted to put it out of its misery. A rat ran past and the monstrosity scuttled back, pulling its arms free from armpits in fright, revealing huge cleaning claws of Leningrad steel.
"Put that away Red, or I will make it vanish forever," Sangria Amar whispered from the depths of deep green robes that fluttered and twisted around a shadowed frame. The most mysterious of them all, Sangria Amar was a wizard that dealt dark spells and forbidden knowledge, although his past was just as much a mystery as Red Colons. Still, Spider had respected him at least, designing the outfit of his own lieutenants to match the mysterious wizard's seaweed green robes.
Of all those present, none threatened Vector more, than the wizard with unknown powers. The Nightmare had been his old name, back when a spell that had gone terribly wrong (or worse if it was right) to send an entire sleeping town into a frenzy of bloodlust. By morning, half the town was dead, the other splattered in the blood they had shed.
Smiling, Red Colon waved his depraved creature away.
No sooner had it left, then the slapping of feet signalled the newcomer had finally arrived.
"Spider! Why have you kept us waiting, and for what reason are you 'surrendering' to Kenji Aztec?" Sangria Amar demanded, a strangling black smoke blasting across the table with every dark word.
"I would like to know this as well, is this Kenji truly so fiercesome?" Armistice hissed, her snake warriors hissing in tandem.
"Tell us Spider, what has you turning into a coward?," Vector boomed, not wanting to lose the chance to bring down their most powerful member. Assassins aside, Spider was the master of influence, with connections to powers across the land, a casino that produced coin, and secrets from its patrons, and a network of dealings that ran laps around the rest of them. Even now his Sidkhani were located all throughout Oldeth, every whisper, every dealing, all of it ending up in Spider's ears.
"I have come to find this Kenji and his warriors are beyond our power to control. Some have come here, as my new allies. This is an invitation to those who wish to survive, join us, and form part of a new world order that will see the land trembling at our feet!"
Spider formed a fist, while a snarling werewolves much larger than Red Colons and a chuckling blind wizard appeared behind him. Vector could tell both were strong, but not as strong as the three assassins.
"Where are your crows?" Sangria Amar muttered, "Why to bring these outsiders?"
"Is it a gift? Big Red loves the fluffy ones," Red Colon extended a long tongue to lick his own chin, and trailed his way back up to lick his eyeballs.
"My Crows have more important business to-"
"More important than this?" Sangria Amar shouted, "reports say explosions crippled your Casino, your followers are scattered, your networks thrown into disarray! And you dare claim you have a more important matter than proving to us you have a place in our number? You appeared suddenly this year and proved your worth, but being a newcomer what was given can be easily taken away!"
"Calm down Amar, let him speak," Armistice hissed.
"Oh you would snakey, all over Spider aren't you? When's the marriage?" Red giggled.
"I have come to say one thing. Come with me, and see what this new order can offer you. Come with me and swear fealty to Kenji Aztec, take a place at the table, make your mark known. Or stay here, and suffer the consequences."
Spider turned and sauntered away.
"The hell do you mean by that, you think my guards can't prevent a few Sidkhani attackers?" Vector growled. "Or what about Amar's magical traps, or Red Colon's slave warriors?"
"I'm coming, with me my servants," hissed Armistice, who slithered after Spider eagerly, followed by her snake warriors.
"Well that was expected, good riddance- Amar, what are you doing?"
Amar had stood suddenly, staring at a rat that watched from the corner of the room. It might have been Vectors imagination, but the wizard looked afraid.
"Amar...?"
The rat was sleeker than the usual, it's fur melding with the shadows, a dark mark barely visible upon its forehead. Was it a magical familiar?
Twisting darkness burst from beneath Amar's clothes, his famed [Deathcoil]s winding around his arms to form lances of dark energy. Immediately Vector pulled out his two-handed long-sword, Red Colon rolling back into the one-armed embrace of his mutilated werewolf.
In a flash of green light, a horned devil appeared.
Soot black, webs of green fire blazing around its body, an emerald crown studded with demonic skulls, a sceptre in one hand, and an urn the other. Twin wings unwrapped from the creatures backside, a pair of large green eyes embedded in each. Upon the creature's forehead was that dark mark repeated, a black star.
The aura alone flattened the guards to the floor. The magical build-up so potent even a brute like Vector felt it hot in the air. Closing his eyes to shy away from the building green fire, he could see the ball clear as day through his eyelids.
The rushing heat that followed threw Vector hard against a wall.
Opening his eyes he found smoke quickly fading, Red Colon gone, his slave werewolf gone, a huge chunk of stone now a molten mess.
"I surrender, please, I surrender!" Amar screamed, a feeble shield of darkness flickering, the devil raising a hand towards them.
"I do not accept, [Death Curse]," nothing visibly happened, yet Amar dropped to the floor, steam spewing from his mouth.
"My wards...his overwhelming them..." Amar whispered, his body collapsing, his head lulling to one side.
"Please, I'll do what you want, I'll kill whoever you want," Vector begged, and threw aside his sword, "I didn't know - I didn't know!"
"If I could hold back from killing you all, I would," the devil said so matter of factly, "but the truth of the matter is, I can't. So just know that just like all the 'blood-lines' you ended, I'll be doing the same. I quite literally am unable to stop in this form, until the entire underground is cleansed of your people."
"Please."
"[Death Curse]"
Vector felt himself grow hot, really really hot, then his mind went blank. His body froze. Collapsing, he tried to figure out what the hell was happening. Grasping the ground, he pushed himself upward, slowly adjusting to what was happening.
Having just finished vaporizing the remaining guards and sucking some milky blue substance into his urn, the devil seemed surprised to see Vector alive.
"I see, so land titans are immune are they? Good to know," floating over, the devil waited for Vector to charge. His punch was stopped as easily as a child, his head detached with a flash of claw. His own festering soul added to the urn.