Ends of Magic

Nathan eyed Faline for a moment, then he shrugged. “No time to lose. Let’s go.”

She gestured for him to pull his hood up, then swung the green robe off of the hook. Her body swelled as she settled it on her shoulders, and the fleshy face of the enslavement mage persona glanced back at him.

That’s pretty creepy.

“Follow me. Keep your head down. I will draw first blood, be ready for it.” Her voice was back to the cultured drawl of her disguise, and Nathan obeyed her instructions.

Faline led him out of the safehouse, and Nathan kept a careful three paces behind her. They walked out of the slums by a different route than they’d entered it, and started climbing the hill. As soon as they got back to the busy streets the bubble of clear space around the green robes resumed, and Faline leisurely strolled up the slope.

Soon enough they passed out of the slums and into the part of the city dominated by regimented square stone buildings. Nathan darted curious glances around as they passed, discovering that there were a few types. Some of them were workshops, where hundreds of artisans worked to build things from carts to weapons, while others were warehouses or barracks that housed hundreds of slaves.

There didn’t seem to be a great deal of organization behind their placement, with a warehouse full of metal ingots placed between a barracks with hundreds of cots and a workshop where dozens of weavers were spinning thread.

It reminds me of citybuilding games. ‘Oh, I need another warehouse. I’ll build it over here’. It feels like somebody standing on top of one of those hills planned this out, not somebody who lives and works in the city.

The streets were flooded with traffic as dozens of collared laborers carted materials around the city. They moved silently, navigating their heavy payloads by rigid rules. All of the organized flow made way for Faline, and she moved through the steady flow like a fish swimming downriver.

Nobody seemed to be giving Nathan a second glance - or even Faline for that matter. Even the few slavemasters directing complex tasks saw the green robes and made way, keeping their eyes downcast.

There were a few slave-soldiers guarding a small gate into the upper city, but Faline walked through without a care. Houses and shops replaced barracks and warehouses, and other mages started to appear. They weren't many - and the most common were the green-robed enslavement mages, usually with small entourages of slaves. Several were going around in litters carried by bare-chested bearers, and more than a few were accompanied by black-armored warriors festooned with blades.

I bet those are the slave-elites I learned about a while ago. That’s what happens if you train somebody from a young age to be a powerful warrior instead of just handing your failed craftspeople a spear and a shield.

The houses grew fancier and the traffic thinner as they went on. The estates on either side weren’t huge - but they had glass windows, were multiple stories tall and had exquisitely cultivated gardens. Each of them reminded Nathan of Dalo and Kullal’s house back in Gemore. Thinking of them made a fist close around Nathan’s heart.

I do not want to tell Kullal that Stella was captured by Giantsrest. She’s always been gentler and calmer than Dalo, but I think she’d be the more terrifying of the two on hearing that news.

Nathan took a calming breath, refocusing himself on the target. He was here to prevent that outcome. And now that Faline was here, the news would make it back to Gemore even if he failed.

She’s not coming in to face Taeol, after all. She’s helping out, not backing me to the hilt.

“That’s it. I’ll gut the mage. Take the soldiers on the left.” Faline’s voice was quiet, but clearly audible to Nathan with [Notice].

He looked up, seeing the road terminate at another gatehouse. A mage in blue robes stood in front of the gate, looking bored out of his mind. Flanking him were two of the slave-elites, as well as a dozen of the normal slave soldiers. They looked ready for trouble.

Nathan nodded jerkily, swallowing to wet his throat before muttering back. “Got it.”

This is it. Taeol is in there, and so are my friends.

They walked up to the gate, Faline striding along as if she had every right to be there. She waved to the middle-aged man in mage’s robes. “I open my palm to you, friend. I have news the archmage will welcome.”

Nathan caught the sound of crackling electricity from beyond the gatehouse. He felt like he couldn’t breathe for a moment.

What’s going in there? I don’t think Taeol has electricity mana. But Stella does.

Unaware of Nathan’s conflict, the middle-aged mage scratched at his chin, looking sleepy. “It must wait. Archmage Taeol has ordered the gates sealed, with none to interrupt. Return at a later date. Unless you will leave the news with me?”

Faline kept walking, and her voice was friendly. “Ah, but the fingers must obey the hand. When will his gates be opened?”

The blue-robed mage shrugged and yawned “Only prophecy knows.” He eyed Faline inquisitively as she passed the first set of guards and approached him.

She pulled out a flask and offered it to him. “Tears of a dragon? I have mind to wait a moment.”

The mage shrugged, reaching out to grab the flask and nodding his thanks before tilting his head back to swallow at the contents.

In that moment, Faline moved. Glimmering knives appeared in both her hands, and she stabbed both forward like lightning. The blades impacted a [Mage Armor] in front of the man’s chest, but the metal sunk a few inches into the barrier. She yanked the enchanted knives apart, ripping a gap in the spell. The man spluttered on his drink, staggering backwards.

She followed the man, dropping the knives as they hovered in place, keeping the mage armor cracked. More blades appeared in her hands.

Nathan was making his own move, revving his Rage to life and rushing at the black-armored elite on the left. Even taken completely by surprise, the man still had his blade fully drawn when Nathan crashed into him. Uncaring, Nathan let the sword stab into his chest as he crunched his elbow into the smaller man’s neck, bearing him to the ground. The slave-elite didn’t stop struggling despite the broken neck, slicing with a wicked dagger.

Nathan accepted a glancing blow to the side to roll on top of his foe. The man released the sword stuck into Nathan’s lung and brought his hand in front of his neck. The blow that would have crushed his windpipe instead sent cracks through a gauntlet. Nathan spent Stamina to keep himself functioning around the sword in his lung, but the wound in his side started burning as a necrotic poison tried to eat at his veins.

Gonna have to try harder than that, idiot.

A fraction of attention banished the poison, and Nathan gave up on clever solutions and began to pound his fists into whatever part of the elite’s face wasn’t being protected. The metal of the elite’s open helmet gouged Nathan’s fists and his dagger broke skin four more times. But a dozen rapid blows with the full weight of Nathan’s body behind them rendered the elite’s face into a bloody crater, and he stopped struggling.

That's the first life I've ever taken - a man who never had a choice.

A spear impacted on Nathan’s back, failing to even penetrate his skin. Nathan rolled to his feet, ripping out the sword that was so rudely intersecting his chest. The lung reinflated, and Nathan dove into the phalanx the slave soldiers had formed.

He snapped the spears that tried to hold him back and completely bowled over a man who stood firm in front of Nathan with a shield. Once he was within their ranks Nathan laid about with fists and feet. Even striking from behind they hadn’t been able to penetrate his skin, and his strikes cracked shields and shattered bones.

Just meat shields - Agmon legionaries are far more capable. These soldiers don’t have enchanted collars to break and I don’t have time to figure out how to break their mind-control. It’s some kind of spell sunk deep into their brains, and reaching in there would definitely kill them.

Nathan kicked the last soldier into the wall with a snapping crunch of a ribcage, then turned and surveyed the gatehouse.

Faline was recovering some knives from the body of her slave-elite. Her mage persona was abandoned, and she was once more wearing the face he was most familiar with.

I wonder if that’s her real face. Or if she has a ‘real’ face at all.

She turned her head towards Nathan, gesturing to the gate. “I will remain here, to slow any who would follow. You have minutes." Then Faline paused, bending down to wipe off her blades. "If you’re quick, I’ll guide you back to my safehouse after. If I am not here when you emerge - then follow your own path. I will aid if I am able, but this is Exea’s stronghold. She has hunted me long, and I won't give her the satisfaction of catching me."

Nathan nodded. “Thank you.” Then he strode to the gate. The crackling electricity continued from inside. He paused and took a deep breath to steel himself for whatever lay beyond.

Time to find out what’s happened to the Heirs.

Then he threw the gate open. Just inside was a wide stone courtyard, surrounded by a colonnaded walk on all sides. An enchanted stone fountain stood in the center of the space, throwing bursts of water into the air that would form into cavorting figures before splashing back into the basin. Nathan’s eyes flicked around.

This is a secondary killing field. Only two sturdy doors out.

Then he looked up, to see the crackling ball of one of the mana-capacitors Stella had used to destroy the Old Gemore construct army. There were a series of balconies forty feet in the air that looked over the courtyard, and Stella and Taeol were on one of them.

Taeol had been reclining in a cushioned chair, watching Stella casting the dramatic spell, but at the sound of the gate opening he quickly came to the side of the balcony, looking down at Nathan. His face curved up into a cruel smile, and with a gesture the gate behind Nathan swung closed.

“Ah! Nathan Lark. You have come so quickly! I expected you here in a week or two, with an army of Adventurers at your back. I was busy learning some of the secrets of magic you so kindly shared with the Caxol girl here. Dismiss the spell.”

The spell diminished in intensity, but Nathan’s Rage rose in its place. He hadn’t calmed himself after the fight in the gate, and seeing Stella standing meekly next to Taeol stoked his anger to new heights. If he wasn’t controlling himself with [Battle Meditation] he’d have mindlessly charged in Taeol’s general direction.

Instead, he was looking around the courtyard for a way to get up to the balcony. The doors were closed, and likely barred. And once he got inside, he didn’t know the layout of the interior. There was no way that Taeol would casually wait for Nathan to figure out a way up to the balcony.

They’ll probably just [Fly] up into the air or something. At least there’s not much Taeol can do to me from up there.

While Nathan thought through his options, Taeol kept speaking. “Fascinating knowledge you have given her - and for no weighty cost! I should have illusioned myself as an attractive redhead for our first meeting.” He shook his head.

“Truly what you have taught her are Insights worthy of a Giant’s gift. If only you had shared them with me when we’d first met, then all of this would not have been necessary.” He reached out a hand to pat Stella on the top of her head. “I’m sure she would have preferred it that way. Isn’t that right, Stella?”

“Yes, honored Archmage Taeol.” Stella’s voice was flat, devoid of emotion.

The orange-robed man seemed pleased, ruffling her hair and looking down at Nathan with a bemused smile. “I must admit, it is impressive you arrived here unheralded. You have become capable since you came to Davrar. I am proud you have fit into our world so well. It seems I truly did pick a person who would thrive on Davrar, with Insights of true power even outside of magic.”

Nathan was giving Taeol half of his attention as he thought about climbing the columns. He could probably reach the top of the tiled roof that covered the colonnades, but then he’d need to climb twenty-five feet of sheer building face to reach the balcony with Taeol and Stella. There were windows and decorations on the wall, but nothing sufficiently elaborate for easy climbing.

Maybe if I’d picked up a climbing skill. Or just had goddamn [Airwalking]. I feel vindicated in my desire to get that Talent, but I fucking wish I’d gotten it a fight or two earlier.

Taeol spread his arms wide. “And now it seems all of those Insights will be mine once more! You have come to me, in the base of Giantsrest’s power. I will call in every favor I must from Exea to bury you in soldiers. And then I will have time. Time to break your friends to my hand, and eventually break you. No matter how resistant to mental magic you are, the slavemasters in my employ are proficient in many means - and having your friends loyal to me offers many options.”

I wouldn’t call that loyalty. But I definitely don’t want him to summon all the soldiers in Halsmet. I wouldn’t be able to beat a half-dozen of those slave-elites.

Nathan tried to think of other ways to approach this problem. If he could find and free the rest of the Heirs, then maybe they would be able to help him free Stella. He bet Sarah would be more than thrilled to put a penetration-enchanted bullet in between Taeol’s eyes. So long as they weren’t also mind-controlled, that is.

If they are, I should be careful. If Sarah’s lurking behind one of those windows then Taeol can probably kill me with a single command. But he hasn’t made reference to them - maybe Taeol will just tell me.

“Where are the rest of the Heirs?”

“Here. Protected.” Taeol frowned. “They deny my magic for now, but cannot escape my grasp for much longer. But this one.” He put a finger under Stella’s chin, tipping her head up to look into her eyes. “She was only protected by a few amulets. Easily removed, you see.” He pulled one of Stella’s mental protection amulets from a pocket, eyed it for a second and put it back. “And the most valuable of them. What use is a fighter to me, when there is a mage with Insights from another world?”

Phew. No bullet to the brain for me.

Then the archmage turned his attention back to Nathan. “Will you fall into my grasp willingly? Or must I expend favor to swarm you in soldiers? Think of the wonders we could achieve working together - a word from me will set hundreds of slaves working at any task we desire. Guns, steel alchemy. All of it could be ours! Clasp my hand, and we can work together. Though you have thrown away the easy trust we could have had.”

Nathan tuned Taeol out, thinking over his options. He didn’t have any good ones.

Forty feet of verticality completely disarms me. Maybe I could knock the building over if I’d taken [Magicsunder Siegebreaker]. But I didn’t. I might just need to talk Taeol down.

He looked up to Taeol. “Tell you what. You come down here and fight me. Mano-a-mano. You beat me, and I promise to give you whatever you want, including all my Insights from earth. But if I beat you, you let the Heirs go and let us leave Halsmet.”

Yeah, let’s pretend that he’ll survive that fight.

Taeol’s response was a choked laugh. “Me, fight you? When you have built yourself to fight mages and win? Giant’s bones would that be idiotic. Though you have given me an idea.”

He turned to Stella. “Jump.”

She promptly jumped over the balcony, and Nathan’s heart leapt into his throat.

[Levitate]

Taeol’s spell caught Stella and she slowly descended to the ground. He looked satisfied, like he’d just figured out an elegant solution to a problem. “Stella Caxol, capture Nathan Lark. You know his capabilities, any state short of death is acceptable. Fight to the fullest extent of your capabilities.”

Dammit. The one mage whose magic can hurt me.

Status of Nathan Lark:

Permanent Talent 1: Magic Absorption 10

Permanent Talent 2: Perfected Body 4

Talent 3: High-tier Slow Fall 9

Class: Implacable Antimage level 119

Stamina: 3519/3870

Antimage’s Impassivity

Antimagic Momentum

Raging Thrill

Implacable Inertia

Unarmored Resilience

Improved Antimagic

Strenuous Agility

Hand-to-hand Expertise

Utility skills:

Battle Meditation 5

High-tier Earnestness 9

High-tier Sprinting 2

Magical Perception 1

High-tier Notice 4

High-tier Identify 5

High-tier Dodging Footwork 5

High-tier Enhanced Memory 8

Mid-tier Lecturing 8

High-tier Tumbling 2