Chapter 72: New Skills
"I’ve heard about you. The Siren with the tentacles. The one who took down Daven’s operation and made Vex look like a fool." She tilted her head, studying him with an interest that made his skin crawl. "I have to admit, I’m impressed. Most people who cross the Consortium don’t live long enough to become problems."
"I’m not most people."
"No." A smile crossed her face, thin and sharp as a razor. "You’re not."
She raised her hand, and Nacho felt the air in the corridor change. Magic gathered around her fingers, crackling with energy that made his hair stand on end.
[Warning: Incoming magical attack detected.]
[Talent signature: Unknown.]
[Recommend immediate evasion.]
He dove to the side as a bolt of pure force exploded from her palm, cratering the wall where he’d been standing a heartbeat before. The two guards moved to intercept him, their weapons flashing in the lamplight.
His tentacles met them halfway.
The fight was fast and brutal and completely one-sided. The guards were good, trained killers with skills honed by years of practice. But they’d never faced anything like him. They couldn’t track his tentacles, couldn’t predict their movements, couldn’t defend against attacks that came from six directions at once.
Thirty seconds later, they were down.
Thorne hadn’t moved. She stood in the doorway of her office, her hand still raised, watching him with those empty eyes.
"Impressive," she said again. "But ultimately pointless. You’ve freed a few dozen slaves. There are thousands more where they came from. You’ve disrupted one operation. We have dozens. You think you can change anything? You’re fighting the tide, Siren. And the tide always wins."
"Maybe." Nacho straightened, his tentacles retracting until only the Sovereign remained visible. "But I’m not trying to change everything. I’m just trying to change this."
He activated Sovereign’s Domain at full power.
The effect was instantaneous. Thorne’s composure cracked as the invisible force washed over her, her hand dropping to her side as the magic she’d been gathering dissipated. Her breath caught. Her eyes went wide.
"What—what are you—"
"I told you." He walked toward her slowly, his tentacle extending to brush against her cheek with featherlight pressure. "I’m not most people."
[Sovereign’s Domain active. Target resistance reduced by 50%.]
[Sovereign Tentacle effect activated. Charm multiplied by 15x. Current effective Charm: 2,145.]
[Target’s receptivity: 34%.]
She was strong. Stronger than anyone he’d faced before. Her mental defenses were like walls of iron, built by years of cruelty and ruthlessness. But even iron could be worn down. Even walls could crack.
"You’re going to tell me everything," he said softly. "Every name, every location, every secret you’ve kept. You’re going to give me the keys to the Consortium’s kingdom. And when you’re done, you’re going to forget this conversation ever happened."
[Target’s receptivity: 52%.]
"I—I can’t—"
"You can. You will."
The tentacle pressed harder against her skin, pulsing with warmth that sank into her bones. Her eyes rolled back. Her body swayed.
[Target’s receptivity: 71%.]
[Target’s receptivity: 89%.]
[Target’s receptivity: 100%.]
[Charm saturation complete.]
She started talking.
The Copper Kettle was crowded when Nacho finally arrived, its common room packed with forty terrified Sirens who’d been doing their best to stay invisible while waiting for rescue or disaster.
They rushed him the moment he walked through the door, surrounding him with questions and tears and expressions of gratitude that made him deeply uncomfortable.
"Please," the young woman from before said, pushing through the crowd. "Tell us what’s happening. Are we safe? Are we going home?"
"You’re safe," he said. "For now. I’ve contacted people who can help get you back to Lumen. It’s going to take a few days to arrange transport, but you won’t be going back to those cells."
Relief swept through the room like a wave, some of the women bursting into tears while others embraced each other with the fierce joy of survivors.
Nacho extricated himself from the crowd and found a quiet corner, pulling out the communication stone Sera had given him what felt like a lifetime ago. One use only. He’d been saving it for something important.
This qualified.
The stone warmed in his palm as he activated it, glowing faintly blue as it established a connection across the impossible distance between the Mortal World and the Ocean below.
Sera’s voice came through a moment later, clear despite the magical interference.
"Talk to me."
"I found them. The trafficking ring. Forty Sirens being held for sale, plus evidence connecting the operation to Korith and the Consortium. Names, dates, amounts. Everything you need to prove she’s been selling our people to slavers."
Silence on the other end. Then, quietly:
"You’re sure about this?"
"I have confessions from two of the ringleaders. Documented shipping routes. Financial records. It’s airtight."
More silence. When Sera spoke again, her voice was rough with something that might have been hope.
"Bring it to me. Before the council meeting. If we can present this evidence—"
"I know. I’ll be there."
The connection faded as the stone’s power died, leaving him alone in the corner of a crowded inn with the weight of an entire species resting on his shoulders.
He thought about Thorne’s words. About the tide that always wins.
Maybe she was right. Maybe he was fighting something too big to defeat. Maybe the Consortium would rebuild, the trafficking would continue, and everything he’d done today would amount to nothing in the end.
But forty Sirens were free who hadn’t been free this morning. And that had to count for something.
[Talent Extraction complete.]
[Talents stolen from Mirela Thorne: Supply Chain Mastery (Rare), Profit Sense (Uncommon), Ruthless Efficiency (Epic), Network Mapping (Rare), Personnel Assessment (Uncommon).]
[All Talents successfully absorbed.]
[Ruthless Efficiency (Epic) + Combat Precognition (Epic) = Combat Precognition evolved! New effect: Automatically identifies and exploits weaknesses in enemy positioning.]
The notification flashed across his vision, and despite everything, he felt himself smile.
As corny as it sounded, the tide might always win in the end, but today, he’d pushed it back.