Ends of Magic

Stella’s eyes were flat as she stared across the courtyard at Nathan.

His rage turned cold, his desire to save his friends driving [Battle Meditation] to the fore. Strength flowed through Nathan’s muscles, but his mind was balanced on a precipice between insane Rage and intense calm.

Battle Meditation 6 achieved!

Is she going to fight, or ‘fight’? If there’s anybody who can fight me successfully with magic, it’s Stella. She knows how my antimagic works, and she’s got that skill that can turn her magic partially real - which she knows will partially bypass my antimagic. But if a spark of my friend’s spunk can burn through the mind control she could throw the fight in a dozen ways.

There was a bare moment of warning as Stella jerked one hand up in a claw, a surge of earth mana beneath his feet warning Nathan what was coming. He dove to the side as the stone where he’d been standing snapped closed like a bear trap. The fake slave collar around his neck flew off and clattered to the stone.

Trapping me in nonmagical rock would be a great way to capture me - I have to assume she’s going all out. Damn. I think my plan is to get close to her and see if I can break the spell or knock her out if I can’t. Breaking any enchanted collars and killing Taeol should do the trick.

He ran towards his friend, trying to close the distance. His new [Magical Perception] showed that Stella still carried most of her enchanted items, though there was definitely a new source of magic around her neck. Most concerning was the complex spell sunk into her brain.

I don’t know if I’ll be able to easily break that spell if it’s inside her body.

Taeol was watching the opening stages of the fight with glee from his balcony. “Here you are, helpless as a handless cripple. Will you kill your friend? It would cost me little but the favor for Exea’s soldiers. I will reap my Insights from you instead.”

Stella wasn’t distracted by Taeol’s words, ripping paving stones from the ground and flinging them at Nathan. He juked smoothly around them, jumping into the air to flip out of the path of several rocks that skimmed along the ground.

The moment he was airborne, Stella hit him with a blast of wind. That wouldn't normally have affected Nathan in the slightest, but this spell wasn’t just conjured magic. Thanks to her [Natural Magic] skill, her understanding of air flows translated to a blast of actual, material wind that tossed Nathan backwards.

He controlled his tumble, readying himself to spring into action once more. Nathan’s new magical senses aided by [Notice] detected a spell kindling in the stones he was about to land on, so he used [Slow Fall] to extend his flight. Jaws of stone reached up from below, snapping closed on air under his new trajectory.

High-tier Notice 5 achieved!

Taeol’s pleased voice rung out once more across the rubble-strewn courtyard. “You face two mages of the highest caliber. Give in, and we will apply your Insights to spread the civilization of Giantsrest over this continent and beyond. Think of dungeons destroyed and cities rising in their place! Isn’t that something to be desired?”

[Stone Dart]

At Taeol’s spell, pieces of the railing that he was leaning on were added to the barrage of rock that continued to seek out Nathan.

Of course he’s going to participate. This isn’t exactly an honorable duel.

Nathan ducked sideways, slipping through the volley of high-velocity rock. He took some glancing blows from chunks of stone larger than he was, but the gouges and cracked bones healed in moments. Unfortunately, with the wind blast he was farther away from Stella than when he’d started, and a sphere of lightning was beginning to grow behind her.

If she uses [Natural Magic] to shift that to real electricity then it could burn or paralyze me pretty badly. With [Perfected Body] I don’t have to worry about my heart stopping at least.

He feinted towards the colonnades on the side of the courtyard, even though it would be a terrible idea to get hemmed in against a wall. Then he rolled forwards, using the fountain as cover from Stella’s line of sight.

High-tier Dodging Footwork 6 achieved!

Mobility is life. If I get penned in, then those stone jaws will pin me long enough for Stella to construct a sphere of rock around me. It would be tricky magic, but Stella’s been practicing at shaping earth around my antimagic for a while.

Nathan sprung over the lip of the fountain, splashing through the knee-high water and dispersing the enchantments that sustained a series of lithe figures intertwined with one another.

[Entrapping Water Orb]

Taeol’s spell gathered all of the water and formed it into a sphere around Nathan just as he leapt to avoid the stone of the fountain closing on his legs. For a moment Nathan was suspended in a crushing sphere of water, with no leverage. A paving stone plowed through the water and nailed him in the chest, snapping ribs and causing him to exhale a burst of bubbles.

The currents of water moved to hold Nathan in the center, preventing him from swimming and even neutralizing the momentum of the wide block of stone.

But Nathan could feel the tendrils of mana animating the water. He struck out at the ones nearby that controlled the flows keeping him in place. The entrapping currents stilled, and Nathan swam towards one of the central ribs of water mana that maintained the sphere. It disintegrated at his touch, and the entire orb of water collapsed back into the basin.

Magical Perception 2 achieved!

Now that he was free of the orb, Nathan could see stone walls rising on all sides, threatening to trap him. He took three steps and leapt off the edge of the fountain, putting every erg of effort into accelerating upwards. He caught onto the lip of the rising stone wall and pulled himself over it in a flash.

Would have been able to just punch through that with [Magicsunder Siegebreaker].

Nathan leapt off his elevated perch, soaring towards Stella. He jerked himself downwards to dodge the jet of wind directed by her upthrown hand and slammed into the ground, leaving fresh cracks in the stone underfoot. His momentum carried him into a roll that went under a pillar torn from the wall and thrown by Taeol.

[Magical Perception] is helping me dodge these spells even without seeing them.

Stella let loose a burst of searing flame as Nathan crossed the last few feet. The heat was intense and burned away most of his clothing and hair. Skin cracked and blistered, but the damage healed over as quickly as it occured.

Nathan grabbed Stella’s hands and they battled over the jet of flame in a parody of the first practice together, so long ago. But Nathan’s attention was split as he scrutinized the spell entrenched in Stella’s skull, gazing into eyes lined in lightning.

“You can’t break the spell.” Taeol gloated from above. “If the control is broken, she dies. If I die, she dies. Surrender, and you’ll work together again.”

Nathan glanced up to Taeol, his hatred surging high. He opened his mouth to spit vitriol, but the archmage cast first.

[Empowered Chains of Restraint]

The summoned chains broke on Nathan’s skin, but he’d dropped Stella’s hands to ward them off. Nathan reached for Stella, but paused as his eyes flicked around the new magic, gauging their functions.

If I break the wrong spell, she dies. This is cursebreaking a person, and I can’t afford to mess it up.

The slim collar around her neck definitely wasn’t currently controlling her - it might be a backup, or just a decoy. More important were two spells in her brain, with the more complex clearly being some kind of mental control spell - the one controlling her now. The secondary one was buried deep in her brainstem, and looked simple. If the first spell or the collar were interfered with, it would activate and shred the vital tissue.

High-tier Identify 6 achieved!

How do I deal with that? I can’t exactly stick my hand in there and break the magic, or project my magic into her body. Not with my current antimagic Talent.

Nathan’s ruminations were interrupted as Stella’s eyes blazed with power and a column of lightning dropped on him like the hammer of Thor, descending from the orb above her head.

The spell blasted Nathan across the courtyard and all his senses went wild. He was suddenly present in a nightmare world of darkness and synesthesia, nausea and pain cutting through the protection of [Antimage’s Impassivity]. Through the confusion of a half-boiled brain Nathan dimly felt himself impact the far wall and fall a dozen feet to slump on the ground.

His brain was scrambled, and his innards felt boiled. But Rage sustained Nathan against the tide of unconsciousness that threatened to drag him down.

I swore Oaths. I will not stop.

Nathan’s eyes were gone, only bubbling pits in their place. His thoughts were fragmented, and his muscles wouldn’t respond. But Stamina flooded into his ruined body, guided by Nathan’s Talents and the intensity of his Rage. Fresh tissue replaced lightning-burned flesh, and motion slowly returned.

Perfected Body 5 achieved!

Nathan’s eardrums popped, and heard Taeol’s uncertain voice ring across the courtyard. “Is he dead? Pray to the Giants he is not dead, slave.”

Stella’s voice was mechanical. “He survives, master. The flesh heals.”

“Then capture him already!”

Nathan urged his rebuilding muscles into action as the stone beneath him moved upwards to envelop his torso. His body twitched, unresponsive. He wasn’t going to escape the spell.

So he reached out with his antimagic, sending it probing forth a few inches into the stone that moved sluggishly over him. Again his Talent flexed, and it was obvious he was on the edge of Developing [Magic Absorption] to extend the Talent outside his body. But the Insight wasn’t complete, and no blue boxes appeared in Nathan’s vision as his eyes regrew.

The disruption was still enough to delay the spell, and Nathan rolled out of it and got to his feet.

That spell was slower than any of the others, even before my tampering. Am I too far away from Stella for her to easily control the earth?

As he gazed with rebuilt eyes across the ruined courtyard, Nathan saw the truth. Stella’s face was daubed with blood from the strain of casting the lightning spell, and tears were running down her cheeks.

She really hasn’t had the chance to recover from destroying that army of constructs yesterday. She’s never been good at pacing herself.

Taeol was relieved at Nathan’s recovery, but pointed at him once more. “Good thing you’re harder to kill than a flesh tyrant. Capture him already!”

Nathan took off towards Stella, trying to close the distance once more.

I’ve got an idea. Risky, but I’m determined not to sacrifice anything here.

His Stamina was lower than it should have been in a fight against two mages, but he had just mostly rebuilt his body from a brick of charcoal and bubbling liquid.

Deepened Stamina: 1073/3870

The rain of stone was less concentrated this time, and the jaws of rock more sluggish. But Taeol added more of his own spells, [Stone Darts] and [Gravel Sprays] forcing Nathan to juke and cover his face lest he get a faceful of zipping pebbles or eat a support column to the ribs.

“What are you doing? Move, slave!” Taeol’s command rang out across the square as Nathan closed on Stella. She looked ragged, but cast a wind spell to send herself flying uncontrollably across the square.

Nathan’s heart jumped into his throat again as her body tumbled over his head. He leapt, trying to catch her, but she was out of his reach. He turned his head to follow her path, terrified of seeing her smash into the stone debris that covered every flat surface.

[Levitate]

Luckily, Taeol didn’t want to see his investment be ruined so easily, and he caught Stella and lowered her to the ground, where she staggered on unsteady feet.

“Incompetent teaching. Air mana and can’t fly!” Taeol was steadily swearing, his frustration building as his attention turned back to Nathan. “Well? Go and get her.”

Nathan hesitated, turning to face Stella once more. This move put Taeol behind him, and that was dangerous.

Just go. Don’t give him time to be tricky.

Nathan took off across the square, his speed startling a curse out of Taeol.

“Harpy’s tits.”

High-tier Sprinting 3 achieved!

Nathan leapt off the ruined fountain to dodge a mortared boulder that Stella threw at him, spinning backwards to see the archmage holding a bundle of chain he’d pulled from a dimensional bag.

[Force Push]

The net of chains flew at Nathan, expanding to fill a third of the courtyard. He quickly gauged distances - the chains would hit him if he hovered in midair or if he landed.

So, Nathan identified a clear spot and dragged himself downwards with [Slow Fall] to plummet as if he was on a planet with much higher gravity. He tucked into a roll, shoulders slamming into the ground and feet coming around to throw himself sideways, out of the path of the tangled chains.

High-tier Tumbling 3 achieved!

“Drown in Giants blood!” Taeol’s vocabulary seemed to mostly consist of curses at this point, and Nathan tuned him out.

Taeol doesn’t have the spells to properly fight me, he’s gotta rely on props.

Nathan landed from his leap, once more closing in on Stella. He dodged a halfhearted jet of air and jumped as she once more tried to get away from him by throwing herself with a gust of wind.

This time, he’d been expecting the move and caught her by the ankle, pulling her down enough so that his other hand could grab a wrist. She was light - a feather in comparison to the force he was capable of exerting while Raging. But he was gentle, guiding them to a slow landing as he studied her bloody face and teary eyes. He brought his hands up to grab her head, sinking fingers into the hair that was escaping the braid. Then Nathan pushed his antimagic into her - but not by extending the aura that overlaid his body.

Instead, he shifted it, weakening his own protection and spearing the leftover power into her brain. He ignored the complexity of the mind control spell, aiming directly for the lethal failsafe he’d sensed with [Magical Perception] earlier.

I hope this doesn’t do anything permanent. But even if it is - I’d prefer a live friend.

“How? No!” Taeol’s shout was furious, and he cast a spell Nathan was exceedingly familiar with.

[Disintegrate]!

Nathan shifted his body to shield Stella in case Taeol was aiming at her. The beam of twisted mana hit him in the back. Normally the spell would have had no effect, but Nathan was focusing his antimagic away from his body and into Stella. He let loose a tiny breath of relief as the spell at the core of her brain unraveled before the spike of antimagic.

I can survive this.

The lower half of his body went numb as the [Disintegrate] severed his spinal cord, and his breath went slack as it ate into his lungs. The tide of disintegration swept onwards, but Nathan kept his antimagic sweeping into Stella, ensuring that all traces of the mind control spell were gone.

The spell cut Nathan in half. His muscles grew weak, and a blue box flickered into view as his vision started graying out.

Congratulations, you have developed the [Magic Absorption] Talent into [Aura of Antimagic].

Permanent Talent: [Aura of Antimagic]

You are an embodiment of antimagic, forever unable to cast spells or access magic. Magic items will degrade from being near you. You can extend your antimagic from your body to directly absorb mana of spells and enchantments into Stamina.

That’s nice. I wonder if a thousand mana is enough to regenerate everything below my shoulders. Probably not.

Then something sparked before Nathan’s eyes, and an actinic glare shone directly into his pupils. Mana flowed into him, and his brain re-oxygenated. Blurry vision refocused to see Stella’s gaze locked on his, her eyes fierce and glowing with power once more. Blood surged from her nose as she channeled torrents of mana into his chest, providing him the Stamina to rebuild his lower body from scratch.

It’s just magic. Not shifted into real electricity. I think she’s free. And still has her magic.

Stella took his hands in hers, continuing to pour mana into him. His teeth opened in a silent scream as his torso regrew from scratch.

Perfected Body 6 achieved!

With a newly regrown heart pumping, Nathan followed Stella’s furious gaze to where Taeol was fuming on the balcony.

“You damned fools. I’ll get to Badud; by the Giants, he’ll make this right. You’ll wish I was the one to own you then.”

[Telep-

Stella croaked out a single word. “No.” She crooked a finger, wincing in pain at the simple spell. The balcony Taeol was standing on cracked and fell, and the Giantsrest archmage screamed as he fell thirty feet to the rubble-strewn courtyard, his spell interrupted.

“Go.” Stella’s voice was a whisper. She released his hands, collapsing backwards bonelessly.

She’s fine. I need to finish this.

Nathan’s feet hadn’t finished regrowing, so he crawled at first. Then he ran, until he stood over a whimpering Taeol.

The archmage’s mage armor had taken the brunt of the fall, but blood flowed onto his face from a cut on his scalp. He held up a hand to ward Nathan away, speaking through mashed lips. “Please.”

Nathan looked down on the man who’d brought him to Davrar. The first man Nathan had ever felt true hatred for.

This time I don’t hesitate.

His fist punched through force magic and buried itself in Taeol’s neck, crushing cartilage and snapping bone. Nathan grabbed Taeol’s spine and pulled his head up as the other fist came down.

The fury-enhanced blow obliterated the man’s nose and continued, penetrating through facial bones and into the soft tissue behind.

Nathan let the mage drop to the ground,, where his cored head flopped limply.

He's finally dead. My first real enemy, the first person I truly hated.

Talent text comparison:

Permanent Talent: [Magic Absorption]

You are heavily resistant to all forms of magic, and can directly absorb the mana of spells cast on you into Stamina. You are forever unable to cast spells or access magic. Magical items cannot affect you and will degrade at your touch.

Permanent Talent: [Aura of Antimagic]

You are an embodiment of antimagic, forever unable to cast spells or access magic. Magic items will degrade from being near you. You can extend your antimagic from your body to directly absorb mana of spells and enchantments into Stamina.

Status of Nathan Lark:

Permanent Talent 1: Aura of Antimagic 1

Permanent Talent 2: Perfected Body 6

Talent 3: High-tier Slow Fall 9

Class: Implacable Antimage level 119

Stamina: 109/3870

Antimage’s Impassivity

Antimagic Momentum

Raging Thrill

Implacable Inertia

Unarmored Resilience

Improved Antimagic

Strenuous Agility

Hand-to-hand Expertise

Utility skills:

Battle Meditation 6

High-tier Earnestness 9

High-tier Sprinting 3

Magical Perception 2

High-tier Notice 5

High-tier Identify 6

High-tier Dodging Footwork 5

High-tier Enhanced Memory 8

Mid-tier Lecturing 8

High-tier Tumbling 3