Ends of Magic

Nathan watched Faline leave. She slipped out of the heart of Halsmet like a ghost, without a single person acknowledging her presence. It wasn’t a matter of rudeness, just that her stealth skills were so advanced that nobodycould see her.

She can’t sneak past enchantments. She has to exploit the human element for that.

It was a struggle to keep track of her, even with multiple skills boosting his perception and resistance to mental effects. Nathan’s [Notice] skill was capped out at High-Tier and he didn’t have an Insight to develop it further. He’d need to think about that, and watch out for the appropriate circumstances.

Nathan walked back towards the room where he’d left the Heirs, keeping an eye out for Brox. He didn’t want to run into the Questor without warning. Everybody said that he needed to be careful of the man.

Doing that for days on end sounds exhausting. It almost seems like I should just treat him like a senior colleague with a short temper or something, but his temper doesn't seem like the problem. It’s him getting bored.

No Questors ambushed Nathan on the way back to the room, and he gently knocked on the door. The spell holding it shut frayed at his touch, and when Dalo tried to open the door with his magic it only cracked open.

The white-haired man got to his feet, grumbling. “Hear me, that’s blasphemously annoying. Spells should stay put!”

Nathan smirked as the older man recast the spell to seal the room.

Dalo glowered at the expression, before sitting back down. “No wonder Giantsrest hates you. Magic is their worth and deed. I expect many of the mages you kill just stare with horror as their spells unravel.”

“A few of them, yeah.” Nathan remembered the mage on top of the walls, who’d watched motionless as Nathan climbed up towards him, shedding spells like water. “But not all of them. That old artisan mage decided to do as much damage as he could before I got to him.”

Khachi raised a glass to Nathan, recalling his own experience with the man who'd taken impromptu command of the Giantsrest forces in the main square. “My thanks - his spell carried a weight I could not hold for long.”

Nathan nodded in response then swept his gaze around the room. Everybody was at least a few drinks in and it looked like they'd gotten more food from the kitchens. It seemed like they were all trying to enjoy quality time together.

As if on cue Kia slid another glass of Umna towards Nathan and waved him to a seat.

He picked it up and sat, flopping into the comfortable chair and closing his eyes with a groan. But the moment of relaxation was short-lived, because he could literally feel eyes upon him with his new skill. He looked around to see Kullal and Stella studying him with identical inquisitive expressions. “Do you want something?” he asked.

“Stella has mentioned ‘interference…’” Kullal let the word trail off. “I would hear of this concept from the master of the mountain.”

Dalo scoffed. “Please, he’s the master of a hillock at best.”

Aarl and Sarah both chuckled quietly, and Nathan just rolled his eyes and took another sip, confident he didn’t need to respond to the jibe.

It’s so nice to feel comfortable in this group. I don’t need to worry about my standing here.

Stanel held up his hands placatingly. “Let’s just relax for a bit. The Guildmistress said their tally of deeds deserves a time of relaxation - and it’s been a busy day.”

“Not for us.” Kia said. “We’ve been drinking for hours. It’s a divine blessing that my healing can cure drunkeness, and that Nathan has his own methods. We are on duty, but not on watch. Let’s drink enough to kill a Siegeboar.”

Stella elbowed her mother, who sighed heavily. “Very well. I will ask to learn the secrets of the universe later.”

—

Nathan didn’t wake up the next morning with a hangover, which he very much should have.

How much alcohol do they have in those dimensional bags? One of the advantages to being a powerful adventurer I guess. You get to carry your whole liquor cabinet with you if you want.

He was back in their rooms, with the Heirs sleeping around him. It wasn’t too late, but Nathan needed to pee. He slipped out of their rooms and once more found a pair of Halsmet elites standing outside the door.

One of them was Turbang, who raised an eyebrow at Nathan. “Have a fun night?”

Nathan nodded, yawning. “Yep. How are you folks doing? Sorry for losing you yesterday. The Questor...“

Turbang’s expression lifted. “What a dragon. He sparred with us yesterday and set a dozen of us on our asses. He’s getting along well with Olad, though I hear you’re going on patrol with the man tomorrow?”

“Yup. Should be interesting. I think you folks can finally go back to more important things. I shouldn’t need a guard in the wild.” Nathan took a few steps down the hall, trying to disengage so he could get to the bathroom.

Turbang sighed dreamily. “Not with Brox Thastus weaving the same color.”

I hope it’s not a problem that the elites are starting to worship Brox. I mostly worry that he’ll get them all killed. But that’s why we’re taking him on patrol. The Heirs won’t fall sway to his bullshit. Though I worry about Stella, since she's the only one without a mental resistance skill. I think some of her mental techniques are supposed to Develop to do that, but they haven’t yet.

Resolving to bring that issue up later, Nathan cast back through his memory of last night. He smiled. It had been a good time. They’d ended up talking about magic after all, with some amount of Nathan complaining about how bullshit magic was, while Dalo and Kullal responded that antimagic was the real stalker shit.

Then they’d chatted about Earth a fair amount, but not in specifics. He hadn’t talked about the quantum nature of light very much. Instead he'd found himself describing the history and mythology of his home. Much of it had been things that the Heirs had heard before, and they’d prompted Nathan for the things they thought their parents would find the most interesting.

They loved the few Japanese myths I mentioned. Especially Kullal, for a reason that couldn't possibly relate to the kitsune.

The night had ended on more of a downer, as the Guardians told more of their adventuring stories. They’d described the events with Brox in very vague strokes, clarifying even less than Faline had.

Nathan returned from his business to find Neta knocking on the door, the knuld's dark orange skin standing out against the blue of her robes.

“What occurs?” Nathan asked as he walked up.

She turned to him, jumping slightly. “Oh. Nathan. Sudraiel asked me to fetch the Heirs. She wants to brief you for your patrol. Brox will be there, since he’s going with you.”

“Right. Thanks. I’ll get my team moving. How long do we have?”

The short woman shrugged. “The guildmistress is busy, but it’s probably more dependent on Brox than you. He’s not filled with patience.”

Nathan snorted. “Thanks Neta.” He stopped before he opened the door, looking at her seriously. “I’m sorry about Delric.”

She gave him a sad smile. “Thanks. When we were coming to Halsmet he said your flame was worth following.” She gestured around at Exea’s mansion, and the city beyond. “He was right. Even with what happened, I am free of regret.”

More people dead because of my plans. Nothing I can do about it but honor them and what they died for.

Nathan returned the smile. “We’ll be out in a few minutes.” He entered the room to find the Heirs in various states of readiness. He clapped his hands together loudly. “Rise and shine! Time to get briefed on our patrol!”

“At least it’s not a patrol through old Gemore. Those were boring, sprinkled with the occasional ambush,” Stella groused as she pulled on her socks.

Aarl groaned. “Now this patrol is marked by a prophecy of death.”

“I think we are beyond prophecy’s hold,” Khachi said in a droll tone. “With a Questor along this patrol will have its share of smoke and blood no matter our desires.”

“Let’s at least find out the route." Sarah had just finished putting on her gear, and stepped up next to Nathan. "How are you doing? We drank a lot, and Kia’s healing can’t touch you.”

Nathan tapped his head. “I think my Talent is better than her healing. I was exactly as drunk as I wanted to be the entire night.”

She chuckled as they watched the other Heirs finish their preparations.

“Let’s go. The Questor will not appreciate waiting.” Khachi gestured towards the door.

“Hold on, hold on, where’s my staff?” Stella looked around wildly, sticking her hands into various pockets before relaxing. “Oh. There it is.” She pulled out the long and knotted wooden stick, deeply carved with runes and inlaid with glowing gems.

Nathan studied the clearly magical implement. There was definitely magic in it, but it didn’t feel like it made up a coherent structure to Nathan. “What does that do? I haven’t seen you use it very much.”

Stella held up the object in question. “It’s mostly a decoy. A lot of mages use casting foci like staves and wands. I don’t, and it’s enchanted to look as powerful as possible while being fairly cheap. But it’ll block a blow and has some amount of mana storage. ”

Right, and she’s got that Talent that adds the mana storage of anything she’s carrying to her own pool.

The Heirs walked out of the room, where Neta and the two elites fell in behind them. Stella greeted Neta warmly, and the two quickly fell into conversation, talking about magic as they walked to the Guildmistress’s new office tucked away in the corner of the enormous building.

Sudraiel had set up shop in one of the old administrative sections of Exea’s manor. While it was smaller than her old office the effect of entering her domain was much the same. The old knuld secretary, Siltul, wasn’t present, but the old human woman still dominated the room.

She was giving orders to an adventuring team Nathan recognized, The Blades of Steel. They were a team that had relieved the Heirs out at Bridgeguard far to the west, and were composed of four gruff old human veterans as well as a young foxfolk mage named Sunae. The rest of her team seemed to dote on the woman, like she had four aunts and uncles.

“... that’s all. Scout it out, nothing more. The Giantsrest maps have too many Endings-damned dungeons for me to send anybody that way until we have reports. We need information, not cleared dungeons.”

Armin nodded, then clapped a hand to his breast. “As your flame calls.”

The Blades of Steel filed past the Heirs, trading respectful nods. Neta followed them out, exchanging a few words with Sunae. The two elites stayed in the central office space.

The door swung closed behind them of its own accord and Sudraiel sighed and leaned forward to make a mark on a checklist. “At least Giantsrest has paper. Though I’m sure I would prefer not to learn its source. Another weight to hold against them.”

She gestured around the room. “This used to be Myrla’s, where she was petrified in place in her duties under Exea. I asked if I could use it and she told me that it would welcome my hand. She said she would never enter this room again.”

The guildmistress pulled out a map. “We’ll get this started, since I have no idea if Brox will come. Questors are beyond my authority.”

She tapped the large parchment, which showed the mountains between Halsmet and Giantsrest. The focus of the map was a creatively named ‘mountain road,’ which connected the two cities together, snaking through low-lying valleys. “This road is too obvious - it will be watched, but I do not expect any serious Giantsrest scouts to use it. The army will no doubt march upon it when the time comes.”

Her finger moved a little bit north, tapping another pass. “This is Fireface pass. It’s named for a dungeon set into the mountain on the side closer to Halsmet. It’s where both Faline and I judge the most powerful Giantsrest advance team will approach.”

Nathan looked over the map and frowned, trying to interpret the markings. “The dungeon is a Fortress of the Face? Any others nearby?”

“No other dungeons nearby, but it’s a big one. Attuned to fire mana. But you shouldn’t need to approach it, and the only note I have is that the inhabitants are ‘passive’.” Sudraiel grabbed an index card and waved it with annoyance. “The Giantsrest approach to dungeons is downright blasphemous.”

“How much of our mission is to calm the Questor?” Khachi’s question was quiet, but serious.

Sudraiel fixed him with a steady gaze. “Only some. This mission is important. A force of Nails - or any other mages - could harass our preparations, slay fighters we cannot lose, and grant Giantsrest invaluable knowledge. Cala dha Drex is the archmage of the Nails, and she will try to get saboteurs behind us even without orders to do so. We are dispatching other teams to the other passes, but you are the ones most likely to meet the foe. I worry that the Questor will accompany them. If that is true, Brox will help you fight. He's immune to mental magic and has fought Giantsrest before. He's a more powerful fighter than anybody in Gemore.”

They studied the map for a bit. Sarah traced her line along the pass and towards Giantsrest. “How far should we go?”

Sudraiel shrugged. “We do not know the terrain, so this question is in your hands. Your mission is to prevent Giantsrest from sending scouts or saboteurs through the pass before the battle. Wherever you decide is best.”

“Can’t they just teleport past it?” Nathan asked.

“Yes, but few mages know [Teleport], and we will be watching. I would trade a grand Insight for Giantsrest to send such powerful mages ahead unsupported, especially when we have the Halsmet detection enchantments and so many elite Adventurers ready to respond. Kozar could kill them from the city walls.”

“Should we attack?” Stella pointed at the western edge of Giantsrest. “Harass them, cause them to shape their eyes towards us instead of Halsmet. We’ll be able to fight, with Brox present.”

At his name, the Questor bust through the door, golden locks flowing with motion as he strode into the room. He responded to Stella’s question. “I like your desire, young Caxol!” He waggled a finger at her. “But that is not our mission! Badud awaits, and I would not fight him with an army at his back.”

Nathan could feel the pull of Brox’s charisma, but his new skill insulated him from the effect. Khachi was similarly unperturbed, though Sarah and Aarl were grimacing with effort. But Stella nodded along agreeably, eyes sparkling as she gazed at the Questor.

Oh no.

Brox turned to Sudraiel, beaming and throwing his arms wide. “This city will be safer than a vault of solace. By Edes I declare no scouts will pierce our shroud!”

The guildmistress smiled grimly at him. “Of that, I have no doubt. This is the pass you need to guard.” She traced the pass, then tapped the marking for the dungeon. “This is a dungeon, but there’s no need to clear it. We don’t need the complication of an awakened dungeon atop a Giantsrest Army.”

“What kind?” The Questor raised a sculpted blonde eyebrow.

“It’s a Fortress of Face! Fire-themed.” Stella said happily, eager to answer Brox’s question.

“Yes.” The guildmistress shot warning looks around at the Heirs. “A large and powerful one.”

Brox pursed his lips, giving a faint nod. “Ah, Fortresses of the Face. Those are always interesting. I’d prefer ice to fire, but Algoa is a god of luck, not choice.”

“What about lightning? I’m great at lightning.” Stella said.

The Questor turned to fully examine her, his face registering faint surprise. “Truth verified?”

Stella nodded frantically and held out a hand, where sparks danced between her fingers.

Nathan stepped forward to catch Brox’s attention and distract him from Stella. “You’re good to leave tomorrow morning?”

The man turned to Nathan, then panned around to scan the rest of the Heirs. “Yes, yes I will be. Wonderful to meet you all. I know your parents, impressive Adventurers all. I praise the divine that I have this chance to know their heirs.”

Then his attention turned back to Nathan, and he smiled charmingly. “And you, Nathan Lark. You are not the Heir to power, but you hold it regardless.” He studied Nathan again, carefully. “You have no history here. Are you of Davrar, or beyond it?”

What does he know? I’m not sure I want him digging into Earth. But he could probably find out if he asked around.

Nathan shrugged noncommittally. “I haven’t been here long - but Gemore is my home now. And Giantsrest is my enemy.”

The Questor nodded sagely. “I understand. Welcome to Davrar! I embrace our time as allies, and wish you the blessings of Oltia. Or I would, if I hadn’t killed her.” His smile turned smug, and he spun back to Sudraiel. “When is our Patrol ended?”

She was glancing between him and Nathan with a worried expression. “Six days, though we will be in contact with [Message]. You can all move quickly. Be sure to get back for the battle.”

Brox nodded, then waved at the Heirs. “I will see you all at dawn in the courtyard for our Patrol. Be prepared for a race. I am off to find Olad for some more… company.”

The Questor jerked the door open and vanished, the speed of his movement kicking up a breeze that scattered papers around the room.

Everybody watched the open door for a moment to see if the Questor was gone.

“Dragon’s breath. He’s great. With him along we’ll make Giantsrest fart ice!” Stella said excitedly.

Sudraiel shook her head, meeting Nathan and Khachi’s worried looks, and then looking up to see a harried-looking Liluce approaching. “Go. You know your mission. Don’t die.”

The Heirs left the Guildmistress’ office as Liluce started going over issues with the process of training newly freed volunteers to fight.

Sarah shook herself as if snapping out of a [Daze] spell. “Brox is dangerous.”

Aarl looked at her strangely. “No, he’s just…” He trailed off.

“Dangerous.” Nathan and Khachi spoke together.

Aarl swallowed and sighed. “Yeah.”

Stella just looked confused. “What do you mean?”

Status of Nathan Lark:

Permanent Talent 1: Aura of Antimagic 6

Permanent Talent 2: Perfected Body 7

Talent 3: High-tier Slow Fall 10

Class: Implacable Antimage level 210

Deepened Stamina: 6428/6600

Antimage’s Impassivity

Antimagic Momentum

Raging Thrill

Implacable Inertia

Unarmored Resilience

Improved Antimagic

Strenuous Agility

Hand-to-hand Expertise

Class: Assassin of Gemore level76

Regenerative Focus: 860/860

Catastrophic Blows

Stealthy Movement

Infiltration

Forgettable

Unsuspecting Strike

Utility skills:

Battle Meditation 8

Leadership 5

High-tier Sprinting 7

Magical Perception 6

High-tier Notice 10

Magical Intuition 3

High-tier Dodging Footwork 9

Mental Fortress 3

High-tier Lecturing 2

High-tier Tumbling 7

Mid-tier Noticeability 7

Low-tier Quiet Movement 4

Low-tier Disguise 4

Mid-tier Battle Cry 1