Garrett woke up, but his eyes remained closed. He inhaled deeply. Keeping his lids shut, he cast himself out into the land around him. It wasn't full of mana, but there was enough. He laid there for a long time, absorbing energy from the land.
He wasn't sure how long exactly it was, but eventually, he was refreshed, and he opened his eyes. He was in a room of mostly stone, with some white wooden furniture here and there. He was lying in a comfortable bed, clad in nothing more than a tight white shirt and some white shorts that extended to just above his knee. He slowly got up, and the world spun, and he almost fell down onto the bed again.
But then it subsided, and he swung his legs over the side of the bed, slowly rising to his feet. He padded through the building, wondering where he was and where his armour was.
"Hello?" he called out. "Is anyone here?"
"Ah, you're awake!" a voice called. Soon, a body appeared to match the voice. It was a man younger than Garrett but not a child. He wore a black blazer over a bright blue shirt that had no discernible buttons. He had pants that were a deep black, matching his blazer. His loafers were brightly polished, matching the color of his pants. It was a little drab for the strange garb of Ravnica, but he looked nice to Garrett's tastes. The man bore a striking resemblance to Alandarr in his younger years, though he had a short cut dark beard.
"I'm Warren." He said. "I found you passed out on the side of the street. I had some of my servants bring you in and get you out of that armour."
"Thank you." Garrett said.
"Take a seat," Warren said, gesturing to a chair, taking one himself. "Who are you?"
"My name," Garrett began, sitting, "is Garrett. "I'm a-"
"Azorius?" Warren interjected. "Your armor was white and blue. That's Azorius colors."
"No." Garrett said. "I'm a sellsword. I simply prefer the colors blue and white. They also make the Azorius Senate overlook me." Of course, he was lying, but he didn't want to associate himself with one of Ravnica's nine ancient Guilds.
"An Azorius-imposter sellsword?" Warren said, his eyes fading away in apparent thought. Garrett put a hand to his head, a slight headache developing. "Are you currently employed?"
"No," Garrett said, a little worried.
"Then you're hired. Five hundred gold to be my bodyguard. I have a… transaction to make. And I don't think the Azors will… approve. I simply need someone like you for guises. Not as much for protection." He followed the last words with a smile that made Garrett think he was more than capable on his own.
Garrett didn't know much about the Ravnican Guilds, but he did know that even after the Guildpact dissolved, many guilds remained in power, and the Azorius Senate didn't like impersonators.
"Five hundred to be an escort?" Garrett said, weighing his odds and moral values. "Alright."
He had long ago dropped his intense desire for lawkeeping, and even his basic moral principles had become slightly desensitized. He considered it, and ultimately convinced himself he'd return his pay and leave if whatever was happening was contrary to what he believed to be right.
"I'm in," he said, tentatively. "When and where?"
"You'll be staying here until then. Then you will simply follow me. Having a supposed Azorius member with me in and of itself shall likely be enough to sway any who would impose anyway." With a dismissing wave, he was gone.
Hours passed, and Garrett didn't see Warren again, despite having free roam to walk about the mansion. It was small for a mansion, but larger than a house. It had many bedrooms and bathrooms, as well as a large kitchen, several lounges, and two studies, one large and one small, where Garrett currently read alone. By the time he was approached by the man, his headache had long since faded and the sun had already fallen behind the admittedly tall horizon. Warren had changed his clothes, now dressed in slimming silks rather than cotton, but he still kept the overall theme of black with blue accents.
"Ready?" he asked, knowing full well the answer as Garrett began pulling on his armor. He closed the door, making them the only two in the room.
"We're not staying in Ravnica for this." he said.
"Well I didn't assume we'd be staying in Ravnica. Where are we going? I don't expect it to be too far away. Maybe Dravhoc? That's about an hour off."
"No, we're not staying on the plane of Ravnica. We're Walking."
"Wait… You're a Walker? How did you know I am?" Garrett asked, confused.
"You just told me." Warren responded mockingly. Then, "And, I read it on your mind."
"Wait, you…" Garrett asked. Mind-Reading was a rare and valuable tool. It was no wonder this man was so wealthy.
"The combination of mind-reading and Planeswalking is the reason I've managed to become a Guildmage of House Dimir. Now, follow." And with those words, the space around him began to shimmer and ripple, lined by wisps of blue and black. Within moments, Garrett, too, was beginning the same procedure, and when he was done, he saw, felt, ignored, and was Warren in the Blind Eternities.
Warren's Spark resembled an eye, with a black sclera and a dark blue iris. Garrett wondered briefly, as he had many times before, what his own Spark looked like.
Warren left what could be called a 'trail' through the nothingness of the Eternities, which Garrett followed. After an incomprehensible amount of time, they arrived at their destination: A plane that felt sickening, infected. Warren's Spark merged with this world, and it left an opening just enough for Garrett to follow.
They fell onto the plane, near a river, which would suit both Garrett and Warren's mana. Garrett briefly considered the frequency of Warren's trips here, to more or less pinpoint a landing zone. The two sat on the surrounding ground for a while, drinking in the river's mana to replenish their energies from the trip. The mana here was strange, and had that same feeling of corruptedness, that something was different, something was almost mechanical about it.
The surrounding area wasn't quite a plain, but it was close, more like a field near a forest. But what was strange was the grass. It flowed and swayed like regular grass, but had an odd metallic sheen.
"Where are we?" he asked Warren.
"New Phyrexia." Warren said bluntly.
"New- New what?" Garrett blurted out, caught off-guard.
"Phyrexia." Warren said again, stepping towards the forest.
"Why are you here, in Phyrexia? Any Phyrexia?" Garrett asked, following angrily.
"Business. But more importantly: information. You see, that is what House Dimir deals in. Buying and selling information."
"What exactly is House Dimir?" Garrett asked, catching up and matching pace with Warren.
"House Dimir is the tenth Guild of Ravnica. Contrary to popular belief, there are more than nine major Guilds. Most only know of the Izzet, Selesnya, Boros, Golgari, et cetera. In the first Guildpact, it was agreed that House Dimir would ascend into darkness, becoming only a whisper of a Guild on the tongues of the rabble. But despite what's widely accepted as truth, Dimir stays in operation. We gather information and sell it to the other Guilds and the wealthy, though only the Guilds know of us. In fact, most of those that we employ don't even know they are helping or a member of the House."
"And what do you want in Phyrexia?" Garrett asked.
"As I said before, Information. We wish to learn how well the meager resistance is doing here, and if any Izzet devices or Golgari fungus is wanted here. And you will not simply Walk away from this plane, unless you want me to kindly deliver an amount of Phyrexian Oil to your precious Rallin." Garrett stopped for a moment, and Warren did the same.
"Free of charge." Warren added, flashing a controlling smile, then resumed his walking.
