Ends of Magic

Dinner was elaborate, large and delicious. Dalo and Kullal had stocked some good food for the Heirs’ last dinner in Gemore, and Nathan enjoyed the hearty meats swimming in heavy sauce and the vegetables stewed in spices. The drinks were also good - Dalo had cracked open his liquor cabinet, and Nathan was again drinking the syrupy purple umna liquor that he and Kia favored. Everybody was drinking a fair amount, Nathan noticed.

The conversation was lighthearted, even if it covered serious topics - the Heirs were telling the long versions of their adventures in the past few weeks. Stanel was proud and a bit worried to hear that Sarah had killed a member of the Agmon nobility, while Kullal was more interested in hearing about the spell-propagation engine, making it clear she wanted to study everything they’d recovered from that crystalline spellbook. The Guardians were duly impressed with how simple the Siegeboar fight had been, summed up by Stanel’s wry comment. “Felling a Siegeboar without risk below level 81 is an impressive feat.”

However, the fight they dissected the most was the fight against Taeol’s ambush. Dalo had looked somewhat perturbed when it became clear that Nathan had directed the team’s actions, but Kia had approved of the way the fight had gone.

She summed it up quickly. “They had a counter prepared, but you had hidden capabilities and took advantage. Learn that lesson well - never let your enemies know what they wish, for they will plan to win. Many fights are won before blades are drawn.”

Khachi looked over to Nathan, a faint grin on his face. “Nathan has said as much, though phrased it as knowledge from his world. A book called The Art of War.”

Kia snorted. “One doesn’t need an entire book for that small Insight.” She cocked an eyebrow at Nathan. “What else is in there?”

He shrugged. “Some philosophy. Discussions on when and why to fight, when to retreat and how to bluff well. To be honest, most of it is outdated political advice. The book’s more than two thousand years old.”

A moment of silence greeted Nathan’s comment. The Heirs had faced this realization before, that Nathan knew writings thousands of years old, but it was new to the Guardians. Gemore’s culture was only a few hundred years old, and mainly focused on survival. Instead of writings and history, they had lethal dungeons. The only things to survive past the Endings were ready to kill you.

Stanel broke the silence, seizing on his comment. “Nathan, what is the greatest weapon from your world?”

Nathan was taking another sip of umna, and he set his glass down to blow air out through pursed lips. “I shouldn't answer that.”

Stanel looked disappointed. “I’m not asking for the Insights behind them! I just want to hear the description of the greatest weapon!”

What even counts as a weapon? I guess they call nukes ‘weapons of mass destruction’, so that’s obvious. Does a battleship count? The biggest weapon a person can really wield is probably a tank. Or a fighter jet. I’ve already described those to the Heirs at least.

With a shrug, Nathan responded. “I won’t talk about the most terrible weapon. The most impressive weapons are probably flying machines. They can go faster than a bullet fired from a rifle, and carry enough firepower to destroy a Grave Tangle. And cost enough to feed a small city for a year.”

Or something. I don't know the exact math behind all of those but it feels like the right order of magnitude.

The [Weaponmaster] gave a faint smile, eyes far away. “Ah, to fly across the land at such speeds, dispensing destruction.”

Dalo spoke up, eyes lidded. “To think, with such a thing you could nearly imitate a mage.”

Stanel threw a fork at Dalo. It bounced off a tiny shield of force before returning to Stanel’s hands. Nobody responded beyond a faint sigh from Kullal. Then Stanel leaned on his elbows and grinned at the powerful elementalist. “Well, you do have to worry about mana. Or other mages messing with your spells. Or even people like Nathan here, with a special relationship with magic.”

The [Weaponmaster] speared a long vegetable and chewed on it, looking victorious. “How would you fight Nathan, Dalo?”

Stella’s father shot Nathan an appraising look, running his fingers through his beard. “Don’t hit him. Break whatever he’s standing on. Bury him in rubble, melt the rubble, then squash it.”

Kia spoke up from down the table, lifting her glass of purple liquor. “Ah, but what if he is in the air, as I am?”

Stanel spoke up once more, interjecting while Dalo thoughtfully chewed on his own vegetables. “We’ve pored over the specifics of the other Heirs' planned builds, even if they’ve shifted in recent times.” His eyes panned over his own children. “But what of Nathan’s? Can we give him advice?” Everybody present turned to stare at Nathan, thoughtful expressions on their faces. He swallowed.

This feels remarkably awkward. But I bet they’ll have some really useful things to say.

Nathan stayed quiet, waiting for judgment. Kullal spoke first, her voice even and lightly amused. “It’s hard to think how to fight Nathan when I know any magic cast upon him will only empower him, and any non-lethal wounds will quickly heal. I would probably throw Stanel at him, or hide behind Kia.”

Dalo shrugged, interjecting. “Stella can throw him with controlled rock, so if he was airborne I would attack by throwing natural boulders at him. More awkward and harder to control than using conjured stone, but it would probably work. He would need to dodge like an Air Stalker to avoid even a standard volley.”

Stanel pursed his lips, nodding in agreement with Dalo. “I’ve fought some on the path of Rage before, and the trick is to control the distance. Some you must fight by wearing them down and exhausting their resource, others you attempt to kill with an early decisive strike. It’s a hard decision, depending on their style and skills.” He narrowed his eyes at Nathan. “I would try to keep Nathan at bay, drain his Stamina until he stopped healing, then slowly wound him without giving him an opening.”

Kia spoke up next. “Divine knows that would likely cost a fortune in magic items. We saw him break Simla's swords. I would strike with a single powerful blow, with as little warning and as few tells as possible.” She paused, tapping her lip with one finger. “But if this is how we would fight Nathan, how should he further develop his build to counter such attacks?”

Stanel flicked his hand as if to throw his opinion at Nathan. “Everybody needs a way to attack from range. I don’t know how that could work for Nathan, but it’s needed.”

Kia inhaled with a frown, her brows furrowed in disagreement. “No. Nathan has his focus. Mobility, antimagic and being impossible to suppress. With [Airwalking], healing and the ability to pierce any magical barrier, he should solve problems by closing the range and accepting nonlethal wounds to decisively wound his foes. And he should focus on dodging and mobility to ensure that none of the blows he takes are lethal.”

Everybody took a moment to parse this, then Dalo looked over at Nathan. “Do you have a mobility or a dodging skill? You should get one, if not, it works well with [Airwalking].”

Stella started coughing, laughing. “He has three.”Then she shot an apologetic look to Nathan. “Sorry.” He waved away her apology. She hadn’t given any details, and he was much more interested in getting better advice from the Guardians than he was in trying to hide secrets from them in case he ever had to fight them.

If I ever have to fight these people, something is seriously wrong. Besides, I think both Kia and Stanel will be able to mop the floor with me for the next… thousand levels?

Dalo’s eyebrows climbed higher. “Three? Well. That is impressive. Three high-level mobility skills in a fighter unburdened by armor is something I would normally torch a hillside over, or rely on force walls to narrow their field. But for you, hmm.” He considered a moment, then looked at Nathan with a new weight. “Train those skills as much as you are able. They will be key to your future. If you can, lean your class Development into that mobility. An airborne speed-fighter unconstrained by magic would be the nightmare of any mage.”

Kullal was next to speak, eyes somewhat distant. “Striking from stealth. Nathan would be as vulnerable as any to those striking from stealth, and must watch out for that. But I also believe he would be well-benefited by a focus on stealth, and sneaking. Many mages rely on spells to detect threats. Nathan, have you been able to slip by magical sensors before?”

He nodded, thinking of the fight against the Enslavement mages in a ford. He’d been hidden in a bush and a spell had pinged Emerald, but not him. He’d also been able to bypass the Guild’s security system, hopping over a wall without setting off any alarms. “Yes. I also think I can get past security enchantments pretty easily.”

Stanel leaned in. “Don’t let Faline hear you say that. She’s already interested in you. Half of the security enchantments in Giantsrest were invented for her, and she’s always looking for new ways to defeat them.”

Kullal continued, nodding along. “Being sneaky would suit you well, since the blanket solution to stealth skills - magic - will not work with you. It is very hard to prepare blanket defenses against you.” She paused for a moment before smiling with good humor. “I do not believe the Path of Rage is well-suited to Developments focused on stealth, but I would consider a stealth skill, if you ever have the option for a new one.”

Kia spoke next, raisng her glass of umna. “A cheer for Nathan Lark, the Antimage of Gemore! May he bring arrogant mages low! And may his weakness ever be a terrible choice of alcohol!”

He clinked his own glass of the sweet purple liquor with hers before they downed them.

“I thought we had things to do after dinner. Don’t you have more mana storage crystals for Nathan to purify? Are we going to need to pile them on his drunken body?” Stella’s voice was a bit petulant, which was honestly fair.

Nathan grinned down the table at her. “Naww. With my [Regeneration] development I can clear poison if I want. And alcohol is poison. A simple one at that. But not yet. This is fun.”

Stanel glared at him again, looking unamused. “I know some poison resistance Talents. But as part of a healing Talent, and selective?” He shook his head. “That healing Insight is the jewel of a dragon’s hoard.”

Aarl snorted at his dad’s comment. “It’s definitely worth seeing somebody absolutely unconcerned about taking an Agmon legionary spear to the gut. Or just ignoring a sliced throat as it gouts blood.”

Nathan felt his smile turning smug as he snagged the bottle of spirit that Kullal was floating in his direction and refilled his glass. “The Talent can do more than just healing and poison, though I won’t tell you what yet. You just need to spend two decades learning the details of life.” He grew more serious. “It’s hard to build up that knowledge when an Ending comes along every several hundred years.”

“Would you consider teaching the Insights of Earth to a broader audience, Nathan?” The questioner was Khachi, and he was looking thoughtful. “You hold so much of value, and not all of it destructive. We are on a different path now - but one day, you may have time, and peace. I would throw my weight behind a school of another world.”

Yeah, that is something I want to do. But not now. I need to be higher-level, more capable of defending myself and my Insights. Maybe once Giantsrest is defeated.

Nathan shrugged, not willing to commit to anything. “Likely, though it depends on the circumstances - I won’t promise it.”

Kullal changed the subject, explaining that they’d engaged a famous baker for dessert. She used her magic to bring out the plates, which were heavy with slices of cake. They’d been sweetened with some kind of syrup and heavily layered with savory spices. It was delicious.

After dinner, the Heirs split up with their parents once more, carrying out errands and doing last-minute restocks. Kia took Khachi to pick up some new shields and a new gauntlet, since his last one had been disintegrated by Taeol. He was muttering about getting spares now that he had a larger dimensional storage.

Aarl and Sarah asked Dalo to send a [Message] to Herdin, then went with Stanel downstairs. They were planning taking their class-developments in a controlled space, then getting used to their new weapons after Herdin put in the final customizations. Nathan wished them luck and couldn’t help but want to be present.

Instead, he went upstairs with Stella, Dalo and Kullal, purging the alcohol from his bloodstream as they climbed the stairs. They went into the library, where Dalo started handing Stella scrolls and loose pieces of paper on light spells. Then he pointed Nathan to a side room, where sorted piles of various kinds of magical crystals waited for him to make them usable. “Stella gets all of them.”

Now that I know how Stella’s mana pool works, I’m certainly not going to be shy about using my antimagic to help expand it. I would rather like my friend to never run out of mana while we’re in a life-or-death situation. Even if it sounds like she’ll be at the meteor-swarm stage before that becomes relevant.

Kullal asked for everything they’d retrieved from the crystalline Kalis spellbook, which she began poring over with specialized tools at an enchanted desk off to the side.

Nathan left the door open, listening as Dalo walked Stella through the various resources he was giving her and encouraged her to ask questions about them. The library wasn’t huge, but it did have several bookshelves stuffed with a mix of scrolls, loose sheafs of paper and a few books. There were even a few tablets.

But Nathan wasn’t able to pay his entire attention to Dalo, since he was busy siphoning mana from the crystals. They weren’t especially charged, but between the meal he’d just eaten and the crystals, he was definitely overflowing the stamina cap. So he decided to use the excess to continue his muscle-enhancement program, this time focusing on his legs.

It takes a lot of Stamina to enhance a little bit of muscle. But as far as I can tell, it’s permanent, and the ceiling on the strength increase is pretty high. But it’ll take a while to get my whole body. I definitely don’t want to ignore my core or back muscles. And then I need to pay attention to bones, ligaments, cartilage, nerves. I’m not sure how I’ll enhance all those tissues, but I’ve got time.

He looked up as Dalo went to a secluded corner of the library and fetched another book, looking uncertain. This one was a weighty tome, and the bindings glimmered with purple-red light.

He held it out to Stella. “Be careful with this. It’s probably the most valuable book we own. It’s a Kalis Conclave introductory magical textbook the Guardians pulled from a hermitage. Holds hundreds of spells, covering dozens of mana types. If somebody,” he glanced at Nathan, “teaches you to use other mana types, this book will likely contain starting points for spells that use them. Don’t lose it. It’s entirely priceless.”

Stella took it from him seriously, tucking it into a dimensional pocket at her side.

Meanwhile, there were lots of “mmh” and “fascinating” noises from Kullal as she studied the pages from the book. Then she let out a gasp. “It changed! The spell in the page changed!”

Nathan looked up from the latest crystal. He’d done about a third of the crystals in the room. Then he got up and approached Kullal. “Yeah, when I was wrestling with the book it kept shifting through different spells to try and get me off of it. Tried some pretty crazy mana combinations.”

The foxfolk woman turned to him with shining eyes. “Tell me everything.”

–

Perfected Body 2 achieved!

A few hours later, Nathan was sitting on a heavily stuffed couch, massaging his legs as he sat there. He’d accidentally torn one of the ligaments in his knee while trying to strengthen it, and repairing it properly had been a surprisingly tricky endeavor. But - he couldn’t complain, the entire process had earned him a rank-up in his newest unique Talent.

Stella was sitting on the couch next to him, eyes drifting shut with tiredness. She’d spent much of the intervening hours quizzing her parents with spellwork questions after skimming through some of what they’d given her. Dalo had made some sarcastic comments about asking Nathan, but had been quick to answer her questions.

Nathan had finished purifying the crystals, using all of the stamina for his bodily enhancements. Then he kept going, occasionally asking Stella for a shot of mana to replenish what he spent. Dalo had thought it was hilarious that Nathan kept asking to get zapped, while Kullal had forcibly pulled herself away from the spellbook pages to spend time with her daughter before they left.

She’d given Stella back the forceborn sapphires they’d pulled off of the book covers. In her own words: “You earned these, you should have them. They’re exquisitely worked, don’t hold any dangers and have very high mana capacities. The residual spellwork in them will also convert ambient mana to force mana, which should suit you well. But I would prefer to keep the pages, if you would give your mother a gift?”

Stella hadn’t been able to say no to that. Kullal definitely wouldn’t be able to extract much in a single night, but she might have a few juicy Insights to share once the Heirs returned.

Sitting across from them were Aarl and Sarah, both excited from their class Developments. Nathan had tried to ask about the details, but he’d been waved off, with Sarah saying they wanted to wait for Khachi.

The problem was that he and Kia were still out. They’d been gone for hours, and Nathan was getting a bit worried about the cleric.

Three possibilities. Shopping for a new shield at this hour took a lot longer than they expected, they got attacked, or Kia decided Khachi needed one last training session. The last seems the most likely, and also probably the most dangerous for Khachi.

But Kullal was keeping a close watch on the front gate, and she gestured to let in two returning figures. Khachi looked tired, while Kia was her indefatigable self.

I swear, she reminds me of superman somedays. Down to the perfect hair and being goddamn attractive.

They stomped through the front door, before Khachi slumped on to a chair, letting out an exhausted breath.

Nathan looked over to him, wishing he had a beer he could pass over. “Rough night?”

Khahi rubbed the top of his head with one paw. “Kia made me run around Gemore three times, working on spells to increase my mobility. Told me that I’d need it to keep up with you.”

Nathan couldn’t help but feel a bit of schadenfreude. “Did you pick up a shield?”

The wolfman grunted with a faint edge of a growl, closing his eyes and relaxing into the chair. “Six of them. Not all exactly according to my preference, but I can use my magic with all of them.”

Nathan looked next to Sarah and Aarl. “Well, can we hear about your class Developments now?”

Sarah looked over, giving him a sly smile. “I am unsure. Stella and Khachi seem in no state to pay attention. Let’s delay until tomorrow.”

Nathan sulked, but acquiesced. Before the Heirs departed to bed he gathered their attention. “This has been wonderful. Let’s note the good times when they come, yeah? This was a good time.”

He got a sleepy wave from Stella, a grunted affirmation from Khachi, and a round of chuckles and nods from Aarl and Sarah.

Status of Nathan Lark:

Permanent Talent 1: Magic Absorption 8

Permanent Talent 2: Perfected Body 2

Talent 3: High-tier Slow Fall 5

Class: Spellbreaker Juggernaut level 72

Stamina: 820/820

Juggernaut's Wrath

Antimagic Momentum

Raging Thrill

Juggernaut's Inertia

Unarmored Resilience

Utility skills:

Battle Meditation 1

High-tier Earnestness 7

Mid-tier Sprinting 7

High-tier Spellsense 5

Mid-tier Notice 10

Mid-tier Identify 8

Mid-tier Dodging Footwork 6

High-tier Enhanced Memory 5

Mid-tier Lecturing 6

Mid-tier Tumbling 3