Rage was a cold, bitter pill in Raze's throat. He wanted nothing more than to spin around, grab Harvey by the collar of his expensive coat, and shake him until every last, self-righteous plan rattled out of his head. He wanted to scream at him for the secrecy, the manipulation, the sheer arrogance of believing his methods were the only way.

He's a snake, Raze thought, his hands clenched so tightly the bones of his knuckles turned stark white. A necessary evil, maybe, but a snake nonetheless.

Yet, in the suffocating silence of their clandestine meeting, Raze knew the infuriating truth. Every single, calculated, ruthless action Harvey had taken, every claim that his methods were for the ultimate sake of the Dark Guild and its burgeoning leader, the Dark Magus, seemed horrifyingly, undeniably true. Raze could feel the cold, logical weight of it pressing down on him, and the deep, abiding concern he held for their future was warranted, especially now.

He didn't want to admit it, not even in the privacy of his own mind, but Harvey was right.

Varkos. The name tasted like ash. That traitor wouldn't have just slipped them a date and time for an attack. A betrayal of that magnitude meant a full, catastrophic handover of intelligence. Varkos would have given their enemy the complete map: the precise location of their hidden base, the exact number of people currently within the Dark Guild's ranks, and, most terrifyingly, the best, most vulnerable methods for a full-scale infiltration.

If Harvey hadn't somehow sniffed out Varkos's treachery, a massive, coordinated assault would have been launched, one that would have ripped through their defenses with the brutal efficiency of a scalpel. The devastation would be absolute, striking at the very heart of everything they had fought to build.

Two disastrous outcomes were suddenly staring them down. The first: they would be utterly crushed, losing their one true chance to strike a debilitating blow against Gizin, the Grand Magus who had held the entire realm under his suffocating thumb for too long. The second, and far worse, scenario: the other Grand Magus guilds would sense the weakness and descend upon their base, turning the fight into an impossible, hopeless siege. They couldn't possibly defend against that scale of power.

"We have to get ready. Now," Harvey stated, his voice devoid of emotion, cutting through the tension like a shard of ice. "That's why I requested this meeting. We need to mobilize every single person in the Underside. We need to turn this safe haven into an impenetrable fortress."

He paused, his cold eyes sweeping over Raze. "Use whatever antiquated weapons we have available. Scrape together every scrap of magic, every potion, every piece of defense we can muster to take them out. It's always easier to defend than to attack, especially when we know the blade is descending."

"The loss of Alen and his allies is a complication," Harvey conceded, a flicker of irritation crossing his face. "But the network of the Dark Guild is strong and its reach is vast. We will know the instant they make any significant movement."

Raze knew the numbers were against them. Gizin still commanded a formidable army, and the Grand Magus had the entire Noble Guild, their soldiers were well-trained, well-equipped, and ruthless. With Alen and his rebel faction no longer available to split the enemy's focus, Raze's faction was truly isolated. They had to prepare, and they had to prepare for the worst.

But more than the strategy, more than the power levels, Raze felt a crushing weight of responsibility for the people who had finally found a glimmer of hope. The people of the Underside. They had begun to plant the seeds of a better life, a life free from the oppression of the Grand Magus system. Raze would not stand by and watch that hope disappear, shattered, and destroyed.

"You sort out everything that needs to be done within the Dark Guild itself," Raze commanded, his voice sharp and decisive, the tone of a true leader replacing the simmering anger. "Their main target will be the strategic heart, this base. Make it a hell they can't escape from." He met Harvey's eyes, a silent challenge in his gaze. "I will make sure the Underside and all of its inhabitants are ready as well."

Before Harvey could utter a single word of protest, Raze was already moving, rushing out of the shadowed room with a speed born of pure, desperate urgency. He couldn't spare a moment.

"Those in the Underside…" Harvey muttered under his breath, watching the door swing shut behind Raze. His lips curled into a barely perceptible, scornful twist. "All of those pathetic, even those healed, are weak. They won't be able to help us; they will only be a liability, a weakness to be exploited."

He sighed, the sound more a hiss of frustration. "It's exactly as I've thought. It seems the people the Dark Magus has gathered around him have made him weak, diluted his true purpose. Although he can see the results of my methods, the power I've given him, he still sees everything I have done as morally wrong!"

A chilling glint entered his eyes. "Get rid of the people, the weakness. And then the Dark Magus will return to the frightening, ruthless leader he was before. Only then will he truly see."

Still, Harvey was a pragmatist. He had a job to do, and he was nothing if not efficient. He quickly utilized his channels, calling on his own loyalists within the Dark Guild to direct them toward defense and mobilization.

Meanwhile, Raze burst into the open air and immediately mobilized his most trusted allies. He informed his Pagna allies, and those closest to him in the Dark Guild's fighting core: Sophie the Cat, Kelly, and Londo. Their mission was to scatter across the Underside and spread the urgent word.

The orders were precise:

Fighters, those willing to risk their lives, were to get ready to meet the enemy at any of the access points the invaders could use to breach the underground city. They were the first line of defense.

Mages with specific surveillance skills were needed to use their magic to note how many people were coming and from which direction, acting as the eyes and ears of their defense.

Lastly, Raze sought out Beatrix, a capable and reliable mage. Her task was critical: she was to create several secured shelters throughout the Underside. These were designated safe zones for the children and all those who either couldn't or wouldn't fight. They would all gather there, and a select group of mages would be positioned to act as unwavering guards.

Once all the arrangements were complete, the information, specifically the locations of the new shelters, was to be passed back to Raze. He had to know which areas to avoid turning into a lethal battlefield to protect the non-combatants.

His friends quickly dispersed, and the entire Underside was immediately galvanized into action. Raze and his core group had spent months building up an unprecedented level of trust. When he issued a command, they followed it without question. They, too, could see the hopeful seeds that had been planted to change their miserable lives, and they would be damned if they let the old regime crush their future now.

Now, Raze needed to focus on his personal preparations. Now that he was officially an Eight-Star Mage, with a frighteningly large reserve of powerful crystals at his disposal, he could finally set up the most devastating, system-shattering traps he had ever conceived.

"They are going to have no idea what's coming for them," Raze claimed, a grim, determined smile touching his lips. He looked out over the vast, hopeful sprawl of the Underside, his heart pounding a frantic rhythm of duty and dread. "I just hope it's just the Cerberus Guild that comes for us, and not the full, united might of all the Grand Magus."

*****

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