The Crimson Market Kickoff

Lucien Blackmoore moved through the Undergleam like it was stitched into his bones—thick, raw, stubborn. This wasn't some forgotten alley on the edge of Valthara Prime. It was the city's second heart, black and pumping, beating in time with old secrets and older debts. The air was wet with grime and tension, heavy enough to drag down your thoughts if you let it.

Each step Lucien took sank a little into the cracked pavement, slick with rain that hadn't seen the sky in years and runoff oil thick enough to stain through boots. 

The alleys twisted in on themselves, tight as a clenched fist. Walls and puddles caught the colors and reflected them back wrong, smeared like graffiti thrown up by someone already halfway to madness.

Lucien slid through the crowd like a thread through a needle's eye. This was his rhythm—fluid, quiet, familiar. He didn't hesitate. Didn't gawk. He moved like someone who belonged here. Like someone who could walk into the mire and leave it worse than he found it. The people parted just enough. Not out of respect, but out of instinct. They knew a predator when they smelled one.

His crimson coat creaked softly as he adjusted the collar higher. Worn leather, molded to his frame, softened over time but still rough where it mattered. That quiet sound, the shifting of coat and body, felt like the city itself exhaling through rotted teeth.

Deep in his chest, the Ledger stirred.

Ledger Status: Synced to the Undergleam GridClient Tier Evaluation: Dax – Informant Class, Tier IIISoul Tether: Not Yet BoundContract Potential: High Yield, Low StabilityBoon Trajectory: Loyalty-Sigil viable. Emotional Index: 63%Monitoring Proxy Activity: Two flagged Cassian tokens near Sector Seven gridfallCodex Whisper: "Where chaos breathes, opportunity sharpens."

The pulse of the Ledger wasn't a heartbeat—it was a ticking clock, a weight against his ribs that counted down toward every deal, every betrayal, every win he had to drag screaming into the light.

The market haze wrapped around him like bad dreams. Half-lit stalls lined the street, every one humming with danger and desperation. Vendors whispered between teeth and over shoulders, trading in hacked memories, blood-forged charms, soul-glimpses wrapped in glitch-skin. None of it legal. All of it lethal.

Lucien's gaze landed on Dax before the man even saw him coming. The little weasel hunched low at his table, tapping shaky fingers over a cracked datapad. Cables spilled from his sleeves. His jacket looked like it had been dragged through six different wars and one bad breakup. Eyes flicked every which way, like he expected a bullet with his name on it to come whistling through the crowd.

Lucien stepped into view, grinning like a shark that didn't bother hiding the teeth. "Dax, my man," he said, voice low and smooth, like gravel soaked in whiskey and bad intentions. "City's got a fever of neon and noise. Lucky for you, I'm in the cure business."

Dax blinked up fast. Surprise flashed in his eyes, then folded into suspicion wrapped in something worse—interest. "Didn't expect you this deep, Blackmoore. Thought you were still playing king upstairs."

Lucien spun his brass watch in slow circles, letting the neon catch on the rim. "I'm not playing anything, Dax. I'm building. And I don't waste my time unless I'm laying foundations. I need the chatter. Who's moving what, where, and for who. In return, you get a decoy route—high profit, low risk. You run it through my pipeline. Let the spies take the bait."

Dax's fingers hesitated, twitching over his pad. He licked his lips, calculating. "If this is a setup…"

Lucien's grin sharpened. "If it were, you'd already be in a sack on your way to the Forge. No, this is your invitation. Front-row seat to the Crimson Market. Either you play smart, or you stay poor."

The glyph embedded in Lucien's sleeve shimmered faint as he activated the signal wash. Glimmering runes unfurled across the stalls and wires around them, twisting light to send false telemetry, rerouting any snooping eyes.

Ledger Update: Decoy Deal initializedTelemetry Warp successful. Signal distortion at 74%.Cassian Proxy Interest: Elevated. Flagged tokens pinging within 400 meters.Codex Reflection: "The bait glows best when the hook is hidden in gold."

Lucien's voice dropped just enough to be swallowed by the hum of the crowd. "Let them sniff. Let them follow. And when they show their teeth, we snap the leash."

Dax tapped his pad. "Fine. I'll run it. But if Cassian's dogs track it back—"

"You'll still be breathing. They won't."

Lucien slid back into the shifting bodies of the Undergleam. The streets here didn't get quieter. They just changed pitch. Deeper. Meaner. He ducked into a narrow alley. Concrete walls sweated with mildew and mold. The buzzing static in his ear told him the feed had been tapped.

Jyn's voice cut through. "Lucien, feed's spiking. Proxy signature is confirmed. They're using your glyphs to mirror the vault."

Lucien's pulse jumped, the Ledger reacting immediately.

Ledger Alert: Proxy Breach ImminentGlyph Signature Stolen: Variant Echo DetectedRisk of Soul Token Corruption: 38% and climbingSuggested Action: Deploy Secondary Ward. Instruct Contact Tess to ready countermeasure glyphs.

He pressed against the wall, whispering into the line. "Tess, lock position. Cal, I want vault eyes now. Strip every shadow near corridor twelve."

A few beats later, Cal's gruff voice buzzed back. "Found 'em. Two Cassian-tagged drones. One shadow proxy hiding in nullspace. They're testing your boons again."

Lucien tapped the hilt of the curved blade hidden under his coat, eyes darkening. "Then it's time they saw what I've learned since last time."

Tess slid into view beside him, silent as smoke. Her eyes scanned the alley fast, shoulders tense.

"They're mimicking your magic again," she said. "Same pattern. They want you reacting."

Lucien gave her a nod. "Then let's give them something worth reacting to."

Ledger Warning: Ambush Probability 86%Codex Glyph Trace Detected: "Fear is your currency. Loyalty is your tax."Nearest Soul Vault Integrity: 61%. Strategic asset at risk.

Across the alley, etched into a metal hatch, the Cipher crawled into view—Cassian's signature spiral. Crooked, burned, defiant. The kind of symbol meant to stain.

Lucien didn't hesitate. He slapped a binding glyph to the door, and silver light exploded outward like a spiderweb made of knives. The proxy drones spasmed, caught in the net. The air shrieked with the severing of soul-tethers, energy bleeding out as the trap locked them down.

Dax stumbled forward. Lucien grabbed his shirt, pulling him close.

"No more halfway," he said, voice flint and steel. "You want in? You give me everything."

He pressed the Ledger to Dax's chest. Glyphs flared gold, spiraling into the man's skin. Dax let out a gasp, eyes going wide as the soul tether snapped into place.

Ledger System Update: Soul Bound – Subject Dax: Tier IIILoyalty Index: 71% and rising. Boon Deployed: Loyalty-Sigil, Valthamur Grade.Codex Glyph Record: "His fear was leverage. His loyalty is lockstep."Reflection Required: Emotional Toll Recorded. Proceed with caution.

Dax shuddered, sweat standing on his brow. "What the hell did you do?"

Lucien didn't blink. "Gave you job security."

He turned toward the street, the echo of the Cipher burning behind his eyes.

Back at the market's edge, the crowd had thickened. Word always spread fast in the Undergleam. They could feel it—that edge in the air, something big starting to move.

Ledger Status: Cassian Activity Confirmed in Sector GridResult: Syndicate Collapse Triggered – Sector Five Markets OfflineFalse Token Surge Detected: Seventeen Identified, Five TracedOpportunity Flagged: Collapse of Proxy Supply ChainCounterplan Viability: 74% Success, Civilian Collateral Risk: 13%Codex Echo: "You're building a market. But Cassian? He's setting fire to the whole city."

Lucien looked out over the neon-drenched crowd. Hungry faces. Reckless eyes. The pieces were falling into place.

He muttered, voice thick with purpose. "Welcome to the Crimson Market."

And the Ledger pulsed warm beneath his ribs, satisfied for now.