Mage Mangler -(Crucible of Ascension)

Loosh wasn't happy. As soon as she saw me she marched over hissing her annoyance and ushering us down one of the back lanes near the transport tower.

Once off the main street she raked out the enchantment rod for my gear and activated it as she thrust it at me. The bag dropped out.

"Get your damn coat back on and cover up that blood." She turned to Ree next. "What happened?"

"Earl swapping places to confuse them wasn't enough. They attacked him, I intervened and together we had to incapacitate the full group. He pulled the Disk from his pocket. We retrieved this, and," he next presented the betting slip. "This."

She took it and glowered at the slip before her eyes lit up. "Woralis. That's on Haleen, Peralt's home world."

Ree seemed to relax. "That is good news. I had hoped, but I didn't recognize the place."

"It's not hard evidence but it's something."

"Hopefully it's enough." I added, feeling much better now I had my coat and all my knives back where they belonged. "It was definitely Peralt though. They said as much. They knew me as Joren, but said nothing about anything else."

"Then we can hope our cover isn't blown. Come on. Let's get out of here, before we have bigger problems with the Aalarat enforcers.

She led us into the transport tower, trying to walk at a calm measured pace, but there was a definite urgency to her movements. She took us to a portal on one of the lower floors and told the Portal mage to open up to "Naras."

As the mage worked I nudged her. "What the hell? Why not Lasital?"

She glowered at me. "It should be obvious."

We stepped through the freshly opened portal into another tower before I could answer.

"Well it's not fucking obvious."

"Wait till we're outside, idiot."

I felt my fists clench, eyeing the back of her irritating little head. I managed to hold them back, but I wasn't happy and let her know. "You're not fucking better than me, you little bitch."

She ignored me, which made me even angrier. Ree gently put a hand on my shoulder and spoke so quietly I hardly heard him. "Followed."

I looked behind to see if there was anyone there. We definitely weren't being followed, but the distraction and his gentle words had took the edge off my anger.

Once outside, Loosh, snapped at me. "What's wrong with you, Joren? Use your brain. You said yourself it was Peralt and his men knew it was us. He'll want to repay the murdering of his men, like last time. Remember?"

"So go back to Lasital where we have people to help kill whoever comes! We'd be safer on Lasital than anywhere else."

"Peralt knows we live on Lasital. He'll send people there first to look for us. But we won't be there will we? No, we'll be at the Perch. So what'll happen then?" I was about to answer, but she held up a hand to go on. "They'll check the transport records. If we went back there they'll tear the place up looking for us and possibly find our outpost and portal ring.

"So we've come here instead. It'll be far harder for them to track us here. We'll go, see Onlan and then we can go back to Lasital. It will confuse them and give us time."

I threw my hands in the air. "Hally-fucking-loo-yah! A straight answer that makes some kind of sense." I glared at Loosh. "You could have made that so much easier."

"I shouldn't have too! Use your brain, Joren. I know you've got one in there somewhere." She was pointing a finger at me rather aggressively now. "And remember, we're only having to doing this because you got caught by Peralt's men. You could have ran. You could have hid, but no, you fought and killed them all."

"You had to be there," I growled.

"Oh, I'm sure I would." She looked like she had more to say, but stormed off instead. It was the right choice. I was dangerously close to snapping and for all Ree was tough, he wouldn't be able to save her.

The quiet Salurian raised an eyebrow at me, flashed a smile, then followed after her. Reluctantly, I went after him through the busy streets.

It was another swelteringly hot shithole that did nothing to improve my mood, and in the end I had to focus on an old meditation technique I'd learned a long time ago. I imagined killing Peralt. I didn't have a face for the man yet, though I knew he was an Archon Velorian mix. Yet for some reason he still appeared in my mind as a kind of Jabba the hut type character. By the time I'd finished imagining repeatedly punching the gang lord to death, we'd arrived at an inn.

Loosh, still not speaking to me, booked us into a suite that was large enough to house the three of us for the night which niggled at me as I thought we were going straight to Waldren Perch.

Upstairs, she pulled out the storage enchantment rods and handed them to each of us. "Go take some of your things out in one of the bedrooms and make it looked lived in. Meet you back here in five minutes."

Ree didn't hesitate, and a moment later I was left standing alone wondering what the hell was going on. "I took the remaining room and did as Loosh suggested. Well… I emptied the contents on the armchair, quickly changed from my blood soaked shirt, into a white one I had packed, taking a moment to admire the fact that the wound in my shoulder had already closed up. Then I headed back out to the main room.

The two of them returned not long after. "Let's go then," Loosh said, with a satisfied smile and headed to the shelving unit. Deft hands found some kind of mechanism and the unit swung open to reveal a set of wooden ladders going downward.

Understanding hit. "This makes more sense. The portal runes are beneath. Why take a room? Why not head down?"

"We need to make a show of being here. If Peralt turns up we can't give the inn away as being a Siroth outpost. If they break in here, they'll see people who're staying the night but have gone out."

I shrugged. "Makes sense."

She didn't bother to answer, grabbing onto the ladder she descended into the darkness below. Ree gestured for me to follow.

When he entered the ladders above me he closed the access behind him plunging us into absolute darkness.

Luckily there wasn't much to do other than drop step by step until we reached a typical underground room. Stone walls and floor. I noticed the chamber was entirely sealed, and the only thing visible in the dim glow of crystal light was the rune circle.

"Well hidden this one, huh?"

No one answered as Loosh said a few nonsense words and did a few glowing hand waves to open our portal.

The portal room of Waldren Perch was quiet. Two mages sat watching us as we entered, offering a nod of greeting, but little else. The high windows showed it was nighttime outside, which explained the lack of activity.

Loosh set off into the building at a quick march, until we reached a room I'd not yet visited. Inside there was a long table with a large crystal set in the middle, and it was surrounded by comfortable high backed chairs like an important meeting room, though it was currently empty.

"Take a seat and I'll go let Onlan know we're here."

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Ree and I sat in comfortable silence for about twenty minutes until Onlan arrived. He was not alone. Irian was with him along with four other Baranax, two grunir and a Velorian.

The Harbinger nodded at me and I waved back. "Sorry to interrupt your beauty sleep. I know how much you need it."

He shook his head with a wry grin and took his place at the head of the table.

"First off, Earl, to put your mind at ease, you didn't interrupt anyone's sleep. We were expecting you this evening and before we start, you should know we found the leak and they did not know you were part of the Siroth. We have them in custody now and they didn't even know it was the Siroth they were ultimately stealing information from. Just one of those unfortunate bumps in the road. It seems Peralt is just determined to grab as many of these enchantments as possible."

"So we're still good to go after the fucker?"

"Perhaps." Then he gestured around the table. "I have called a number of important members of the Siroth to attend today to make a decision. Right now, the consensus is a tentative yes, but we are trusting you to do something quite monumental for the Siroth and you are not well known.

"If we go ahead with the mission, I'm sure Loosh has warned you, this will be the last time you can come here until it's complete. Which means this is our chance to iron everything out. Your expectations, our expectations and what we can offer in this outrageous endeavor."

"Outrageous? I thought you liked the idea."

"Oh, I do. That's beside the point. Now, for introductions. This is Harbinger Avros. He gestured to the largest Baranax in the room, scar faced, but peaceful eyes. "Harbinger Twio," he said moving on to a female Baranax with a keen eye and a distinct look of irritation as our eyes met.

"And Herald Nosa," he finally drew my attention to a hawk-nosed, gaunt looking Baranax who seemed to look through me, as if he could see my soul. Obviously that would be impossible.

He was the first to speak. "I'm very pleased to meet you, Earl. I have heard quite a lot about you already. It seems you are catalyst."

"Catalyst for what?" I asked troubled by how much expectation his words carried.

He waved his hands as if to dismiss what he'd just said. "Oh, nothing specific. Only that events seem to swirl around you. You're like cyclone picking up important debris as it passes."

"And causing untold damage in its path," Harbinger Twio added.

"You got a problem with me?" I asked meeting her eye. "Yes she was level 47 Warrior. Yes she could likely kill me in a few seconds. No, I didn't fucking care. "What damage did I cause?"

"Perhaps I should rephrase," she said, as the eyes of Onlan, Nosa, and Avros fell on her. "You attract destructive attention."

"I can't help that I'm blessed with charm and good looks."

She didn't laugh. Loosh nudged me. Onlan pushed the conversation on. "It's true that Earl has a habit of attracting attention. On Velkyn, both Besas, and Garazal were looking to claim him for themselves. On Erete, house Aronel and now, Peralt. Usually this would be a bad thing."

I cleared my throat. "far be it from me to brag, but you missed someone."

Onlan raised a brow as all eyes fell on me. I smiled and gestured around the table. "You fuckers! The Siroth." I chuckled as Loosh nudged me again.

The big Harbinger, Avros, laughed. "He does have a point."

"Just so," Onlan said. "As I was saying, attention is usually a bad thing for the Siroth, unless it has been planned for, which is why we are here. An unexpected effect of Loosh and Earl's work has created a potentially incredible benefit if we can navigate it with care."

It was obvious Onlan held a lot of respect in the room as they all listened to him with rapt interest.

"The Peralt syndicate is known to us all. It is insidious, far-reaching and large enough to cause untold harm to the lower echelons of the Union. Yet it is small enough to perpetually avoid any concerted effort to crush by the Union Peacekeepers. This in part is down to favorable treatment for the Archons who have a long history of using these criminal empires to acquire the things they no longer can under Union Law.

We know Peralt deals in enchantments and slaves for at least three Archon Houses. Tachal, Besas, and Planius."

Despite those links and that preferential treatment, according to our echoes in the organization, they are kept at arm's length. Dealings between the parties involved are carried out through specific trusted contacts and we have worked out who they are."

"If Loosh and Earl can oust Peralt, then with the aid of our entrenched echoes it is my belief that we can smoothly transition the running of the business over to them, without interrupting the status quo. The major stumbling block is those contacts. If they tell the archons about the change in leadership the Archons might delve deeper. If they don't, then business should continue as usual and we will gain a level of access to houses that we have sought for centuries."

"How do you propose Loosh and Earl deal with those?" Harbinger Twio asked, looking utterly unconvinced. "If they are killed the Archon's will know. They will need to be coerced to fall in line and then slowly replaced. She glared at me. "Loosh has a good track record, but nothing that leads me to believe she could carry out the necessary coercion. Will Earl just threaten them into submission?"

I bristled, my mouth opened ready to throw some shit but Onlan's laugh cut me off. "Of course not, Twio. Each of us is a tool and as you rightly point out Neither Earl nor Loosh are that kind of tool." He gestured at us. "These two are the type of tool who are at the spear head of discovering we have a leak. These two are the type of tool who raise a loyal gang army in a cycle! A cycle! Without any history on Lasital, without any help from us. I told Loosh she'd need men if this plan was to work and they got men. Any doubts I had about the success of this operation vanished when I saw what they achieved. Which is why I propose we offer real support and have each of these contacts visited by a Trident.

Twio made a strange sort of strangled noise. "That is too obvious! If they are seen, if the Archons put a mind mage on them they will know we have interfered! No, Onlan that is a needles risk." She looked to the other harbinger and the herald for support. Onlan followed her gaze and waited for either of them respond.

Avros looked doubtful at Twio's outburst. "It seems highly unlikely the Archons use a mind mage unless they suspected something?."

"And why would they not!" she yelled. "With full gang warfare going on, is it not likely they will suspect something?"

"Even if they did," Herald Nosa said slowly, drawing all eyes to him. "You must admit Twio, this is a fantastic opportunity. House Tachal, House Planius, and House Besas? I would argue that even if this failed it is a risk worth taking."

"Worth taking! Such a direct hand would greatly expose us. It may cause a war."

Avros grunted. "I don't think the Archons will be looking at fighting us anytime soon. From what I hear the Xeo are back. There's been rumblings that some of the Dross Portals the hunters have opened are already overrun with Xeo."

That silenced the table. It was news to me too and I wondered where the Siroth would stand in such a war.

Avros let his words sink in before he continued. "They are distracted and, you should all know, that Nix's Trident team are available to use again."

Twio's expression turned confused. "Nix? Wasn't he working the Prime Sovereign's mining planet?"

"There was an explosion in one of the mines. Half the planet had to be evacuated and Nix's Trident was among those who had to flee. Their cover is firmly intact and they're currently working a mine on Ralour before slipping away entirely. Unless we maintain their cover and find another use for them. This could very much be that use."

"How?" Harbinger Twio asked. "They are miners. What use would their cover be to this mission." She made no effort to hide her annoyance at what sounded like a good suggestion to me. Not that I knew what the hell a Trident was in this context, I just didn't like Twio.

Avros smiled patiently. "They have strong ties with the criminal underworld operating on the borders of Sovereign's path. It could be arranged."

"And with Nix involved, I wouldn't think there's a need to involve any other trident's would you?" Onlan asked, directing the question to the full table.

Avros shook his head. "No. We wouldn't."

"Even more risk," Twio muttered.

Onlan smiled at her. "I understand your reservations, but opportunities like this don't come along very often. Loosh and Earl are in an excellent position to strike a real blow for us, but I fear it is time limited. They were attacked again today."

"Today? What happened?" She snapped.

"I was caught following some of Peralt's men and they attacked."

"And you came straight here after?" She looked ready to pop. "Did anyone see you?" She was glaring at Loosh now.

"No. Ree and Earl killed them all and we came from Naras, rather than Tral or Lasital to cover our tracks."

She shook her head looking unconvinced. "They'll track you sooner or later. Pray you didn't lead them to one of our outposts or you'll have blown this entire plan yourselves."

"We won't be here long enough," Loosh said, a hint of bitterness creeping into her voice at the angry old Baranax woman. "I made the best of the choices we had available to us at the time."

Twio's cold eyes flickered over to me. "Do you think it was the best choice, Earl Henshaw?"

I shrugged, just wanting an affirmative on the plan. "Me? I don't think there's such a thing as a best choice. There's not many people think I ever make good choices, but look at me now. I'm stronger than I've ever been, sitting at a table full of important people listening to my bullshit. You should probably ask someone else."

That brought a chuckle from across the table. Even Twio cracked a smile as she replied. "A sage answer. Let me dig further, as it appears this entire idea was yours in the first place. What is your goal from all of this. You have garnered acclaim from many for your antics in the arena and for the killing of two powerful Augurs. Yet you have still come into the Siroth as an unknown."

I figured this might be a make or break moment for the plan. It looked like we had the others inside, but not this haughty cow and I doubted the truth would go down well. Nobody likes hearing you want to take over the universe as a warlord. So I hedged.

"Honestly, Harbinger Twio, for me it's personal. Peralt has a massive empire built on brutality and suffering. He uses and abuses, heartlessly selling people for profit as if they're cattle. I can't bear the thought of so much power in such a creep's hands." When it could be in mine! I kept the last but to myself."

She looked surprised and when I looked around the table, I had to fight to keep a straight face in the solemn atmosphere I'd created with my answer.

"Well said," she finally replied, then looked at Onlan. "Very well. You can have my vote."

"I appreciate your support, Twio."

"You shall have it and more. If we are going to do this, I want to be involved on this side."

Onlan nodded and the meeting was swept away from us for the next hour as the smart people spoke. The hardest thing was pretending to be interested as they went into the minutiae of things I didn't understand and didn't seem to affect me directly.