Immanent Ascension

“We’d probably get better results if we weren’t dressed as mages,” Satahsusar said as she climbed out of the cart. Looking around Harborview, she sniffed as though she’d detected a foul odor.

Xerxes’ dislike of her grew stronger. “You think this place stinks? Try smelling an Abhorrent up close.”

Ninsunu cast a sharp glance at him. “Seer Xerxes, you might be the same rank as Seer Satahsusar, but in terms of seniority, you’re far from being her equal. Please consider that.”

He ducked his head. “Yes, High Seer.”

He looked away from Satahsusar, who was apparently returning the favor. He was hoping to avoid mentioning that he’d been born in Harborview. It wasn’t a big secret, but neither was it common knowledge, as his father had moved the family out of the neighborhood before Xerxes reached his teen years.

Though the neighborhood they lived in now was no shantytown, it wasn’t a place that people vied to move into. In fact, his family’s current abode would be considered substandard for virtually all Isinian mages. Almost everyone —from Gandash’s family to Mystic Aban Saddi— lived in the hilly Garden Terrace area closer to the keep.

“This way,” Ninsunu said, leaving orders with the soldiers to stay put until she called for them.

“You really want to go into this slum alone?” Satahsusar said.

“This isn’t my first time dealing with cultists,” was the answer.

The three mages walked down one of Harborview’s crooked main streets, which was so narrow it felt cramped even with the city being in a semi-deserted state. In other places like Garden Terrace, it would have been considered a servant’s access route, not a primary thoroughfare.

The buildings seemed narrow and unusually tall, supposedly because that had been the architectural style when this neighborhood was gleaming and new, centuries ago. On either side of the street were shops selling everything from clothing to fishing nets. And there was a faint salty-sea aroma that seemed to fill every corner of the place.

Xerxes remembered bringing Gandash here once, and how much his friend had disliked the place. Gandash had imagined every scruffy-looking man leaning against an alley wall to be a pickpocket or worse. Of course, there were a lot of criminals here. But that didn’t mean everyone was dangerous. Especially if you were streetwise.

As they walked along, Xerxes’ eyes flitted back and forth taking in the surroundings and noting the individuals present. After proceeding about five minutes down the winding street, he’d only spotted one or two people he would peg as potential criminals. They simply watched the mages pass. There was no question that people knew who they were. Though Xerxes was still clad in his traveling clothes, Ninsunu and Satahsusar stuck out like parrots at a chicken farm.

They stopped briefly in a small open area formed by the intersection of five streets. In the middle of the square was an old fountain that had ceased functioning years ago and was in the process of crumbling to pieces. Despite the circumstances in the city, there were also a few locals with tarps thrown onto the ground and wares set out on them for sale. Xerxes knew full well that many people in Harborview lived from day to day. In other words, if they didn’t make some sales, they wouldn’t eat. It didn’t matter if there were monsters roaming the streets.

“This place is like a maze,” Ninsunu said, half to herself. “And there aren’t any street signs.”

“What street are you looking for?” Xerxes said. “Maybe I can help.”

“You know this area?”

He hesitated briefly, sure that Satahsusar would start needling him about his lowborn life once he brought it up. But he didn’t want to come across as deceptive. “Yeah. I grew up around here.”

“Oh?” Ninsunu said.

He glared at Satahsusar, expecting a quip, but she didn’t say anything.

By the time his father became Sighted, his mother was already pregnant with baby Xerxes. The following years had been full of hard choices. After all, though Sighted individuals did have a small level of physical superiority compared to Unsighted, until they achieved their first breakthrough and became Seers, they would have to struggle to outperform talented athletes and professional soldiers. And without any spells to cast, they had little else going for them.

Rich families could afford to have children drop everything to focus on magical studies. But a young man struggling to feed a family while living in Harborview couldn’t just sit around all day meditating to build a chamber of energy. In fact, his father had only become a Seer a few years before Xerxes himself became Sighted.

In any case, Xerxes didn’t want to get into all of that. “Yeah, you could call me a Harborview local, I guess. What’s the street name?”

“Low Street,” Ninsunu said.

Xerxes looked at the five streets that fed into the small square. He pointed at one. “That’s it right there. You can tell by the marks on the corner bricks.”

She peered in the direction he’d pointed, craning her neck to make out the details on the corner of the building.

“I see what you mean,” Ninsunu said. “Thanks, Seer Xerxes. It would have taken me quite a while to piece the clues together.” Glancing at the locals in the square, she lowered her voice. “There’s a personal residence near the end of Low Street. A mansion of sorts. The owner is Enki, who runs a fishing business that I believe to be a front for cult activity. The reason you two are here is to provide two possible options, depending on what plays out. Xerk, you’re the muscle. Be ready to crack skulls at a moment’s notice. Sata, you’re our clairvoyant. If this turns into some sort of mind-game, you’re going to be the star of the show.”

As a Hasasu Seer, Satahsusar wasn’t truly clairvoyant. But she could sense emotions via spellcasting, an ability that could come in very handy during investigations, interrogations, and the like.

Not giving any further explanation, Ninsunu crossed the square toward the street Xerxes had identified. Satahsusar followed, with Xerxes bringing up the rear.