Edgar took a deep breath as he was freed from the assault of noxious air. The Waste Warrens were hardly a bouquet of roses, but they were infinitely better in comparison.

He zipped across the skies, and towards a nearby fortification. Set into one of the layer’s namesake warrens, it was made out of dark rock, and quite a bit smaller than the norm for the realm. However, it was heavily defended, bristling with weapons. The walls were steadily patrolled by rotating groups of guards.

As Edgar approached, some of the weapons fired at him, sending bolts of energy screaming through the air. He crossed his arms and then opened them suddenly, sending blades of wind cutting through the still air. The bolts of elemental power were sliced apart, rendered inert by Edgar’s own elemental mastery. He barreled down towards the fort, and landed on the wall, raising his arms.

“I am not here to fight!” He called out, leaning upon the subtle manipulation effects of his Politician Pathway skill. It was far from mind control, but it would work to make him seem less of a threat, and like someone that should be listened to.

“Who are you?” One of the guards asked, brandishing a shield and spear.

“I am Edgar Lackland, emissary of Jonathan Harlowe, slayer of Granath. I come here to offer you an alliance.”

Many of the guards seemed to have no idea who Jonathan was, but one stepped forward, an elderly mage.

“So, you work for the man who thinks to become Hellbreaker?”

“I do.”

“How can you prove that?” The mage asked.

Edgar pulled up his sleeve, and exposed the mana gathering array on his arm. It was utterly unmistakable to anyone with any degree of magical knowledge. They could clearly see the mana being sucked into it, and then into Edgar’s body.

“There is nowhere else that I could have received something like this, save from a man so out of the ordinary that he achieved something long thought impossible.”

The mage narrowed his eyes and bent over, peering at the runic array. Then he looked up and smiled. “I believe you. Kill him.”

Suddenly, Edgar was beset on all sides by a small unit of mid Tier 3 fighters. He growled in annoyance, and let loose. A dome of wind blades expanded outwards, knocking back the warriors, and shredding the more lightly armored ones.

“You’ve made a mistake here,” Edgar said. “I will give you one more chance to surrender.”

“We cannot,” the older mage replied. To his credit, he seemed apologetic. “Slothari would kill us all.”

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Slothari is not here,” Edgar countered. “How would she know? Do you wish to live in fear for the rest of your life, never able to ascend to new heights of power?”

“Better a live worm than a dead lion.”

“I don’t agree with that,” one of the fighters said suddenly. He was young, with a wispy mustache and a face filled with fear. Despite that, he was the only one to speak up. “We have been waiting for years for this opportunity. Did you not say that you would take the fight to Slothari if you had the strength to do so, father?” His words were directed towards the mage, who seemed surprised.

“If I had the strength? That was but an idle dream, from when I was a young man. This man here isn’t even level 250, and he somehow thinks he can defeat a being so powerful that she has changed the entire landscape of this realm.”

Edgar paused his assault, creating a shield of air around himself. There was a point of leverage available now. He would be a fool not to use it.

“My lord defeated Granath, the ruler of the last circle, after barely a few months in that realm. He has been in Mire less than a month, and is already close to High Tier 3 in strength. His growth rate is unparalleled. It could very well be that he is ready to kill Slothari within another month.”

“Impossible,” the mage spat. “Nobody can grow that fast.”

“He has access to special avenues to power,” Edgar explained. “If you saw him, you would know that he was something special.”

“I say we listen to him,” the younger soldier said. “He might be onto something.”

“Silence!” The mage snapped. “This is not your concern.”

“When will it be, father? When we lie dying in a ditch somewhere because Slothari embarked upon another rampage of destruction in search of traitors? My life is just as valuable as yours, and I should be able to do with it what I please.”

“I would listen to him,” Edgar added, using his skill to the utmost. “Would you really prefer to die rather than have a chance to fight? All things considered, you won’t have a chance to do much else in the near future.”

Indeed, for a Tier 3 to appear that old, he must have been ancient indeed. His face softened slightly as he realized the truth in Edgar’s words, but he still did not seem convinced.

Edgar sighed, realizing that it was time for drastic measures. He cast his speed buff on himself, and then banished his shield. He propelled himself forward on a stream of wind, almost teleporting in front of the mage. Then he raised one arm, covering it with magical potency. The other man tried to raise a shield, but Edgar simply pressed down, shattering it.

“I could kill you now, but I will not. That is the difference between me and Slothari.”

The other man pursed his lips, and waved his hands at the circling fighters. “Fine. I’ll listen to your proposition.” It took a bit more hand waving for the fighters to back down.

“I’m glad we could do this the civil way,” Edgar replied, pleased. He slowly withdrew his hand from the other man’s neck, banishing the elemental energy coating. “Now, do you have somewhere that we can work this out in a more legitimate manner?”

“Inside the keep. Come, follow me.” The older mage turned, and headed towards a staircase leading down into the main part of the fort. Edgar simply floated over the edge, and let gravity take him.

He followed the mage into a keep in the center of the fortification, and sat down at the end of a long table, crossing his arms. A spartan looking chandelier was the only decoration in the room. The rest of it was taken up by weapon racks.

Edgar leaned back, and smiled slightly. This was his domain, almost as much as his elemental magic. It was time for him to put the lessons he had learned of soft power to the test.