Ends of Magic

Faline waved one hand at Nathan tiredly. “You have questions about the Academy. Ask.”

“What separates the different tiers of students?” Nathan asked curiously. “You told me that there are three different levels.”

“Yes. They are named for the tiers of skills and Talents. A student will start in low-tier, and wear a gray robe.They must pass a test to Develop to mid-tier.” She scrunched her nose, remembering the details.

“The test starts with basic mana shaping, and then spells that every mage of Giantsrest should know. [Mage Armor], [Moderate Curing], [Paralysis], one elemental attacking spell like [Fireball], [Ice Spike], or [Earth Orb]. The student then demonstrates other spells they have mastered and must impress a group of lecturers. Favors are traded.”

Falling yawned slightly, leaning back languidly and running her hands through her hair to pull it back. The motion exposed her bare neck and shoulder, and Nathan jerked his eyes away.

You made your decision, now stick to it.

Out of the corner of his eye Nathan saw a small smile on Faline’s face. Her tone grew amused. “Once they are mid-tier, students may choose their lectures, and follow many different Paths. Many choose the Path of Artisan mages or Enslavement mages, and graduate once they’ve completed their coursework and passed a specialized test. Artisan mages learn enchantment and crafting skills, while Enslavement mages learn spells like [Mass Daze] and [Dominate].”

She yawned again, standing and moving around the kitchen, her clothing doing little to cover her shapely backside. “Would you like some hot wine? I’m cold.”

Yeah, because you’re not wearing much.

Nathan shook his head, refusing the offer before continuing the line of conversation. “Do they need to become high-tier students before graduating? “

Faline activated a heating enchantment with a wave of her hand then retrieved a glass bottle from a storage cabinet. She answered without looking back. “No. That’s a weight few accept. A mid-tier student must have a sponsor to advance to high-tier. That means an archmage, a lecturer, or a mage with political power.”

She poured the wine into a pot and mixed it with a packet of spices. “High-tier students are effectively apprentices, and it they follow the path to higher magic. All archmages were once high-tier students, as well as most war mages.”

Nathan chewed that over for a moment. “Tell me more about the lecturers.”

“Orange robes.” Faline snorted. “Proud of their status, though they know only magic and arrogance. I killed one some time ago. He didn't understand what was happening, though he could cast spells like an archmage. Some archmages wear orange robes as well, but most wear whatever they desire. All know the archmages no matter their dress.”

“Why’d you kill a lecturer?” Nathan asked, perplexed.

The assassin shrugged, tasting some of the wine off her spoon. “It is rare to see them outside of the Academy, so it was worth being bold. Information of the Academy, fewer to teach new Giantsrest mages.” She glanced back with a sly smile. “I acted a young slavemaster dazzled by his status, and he told me much of this information about the academy over pillows before his lifeblood stained them.”

Then she sighed, her shoulders drooping slightly. “But he did not tell me about the security of the Academy. The assassins disguised as new students never returned.”

Nathan blew out a breath, reminded that he wasn’t the first of Faline’s apprentices, just the most recent. She’d tried to recruit Adventurers during the Solstice graduation, and from what Nathan remembered of her speech, her apprentices didn’t tend to survive their first trip into Giantsrest.

She’s still alive. Does she send them on suicide missions, or is she just that much higher-level? She does have two classes suited for social manipulation and stealth, and is cautious.

His musing was interrupted when Faline sat down on the table across from him, lips pursed to blow on a steaming mug. It smelled like a savory mix of cooking spices mixed into a sweet red wine. She eyed him through the rising steam. “You want to know the workings of the Academy, so that you can attack Badud there.”

He didn’t bother denying it. “And the rest of the Academy. We can only do so much out here. To break Giantsrest, I need to break that.” Nathan said, pointing towards the window and the gleaming magical edifice beyond.

She tilted her head, considering him carefully. The move put her eyes in shadow and revealed their inner glow. “You have stared the ghoul in the eye, so I will answer your questions. But know that you wish to attack a Questor in his own dungeon. You will die attempting such a deed, and our opportunity to hurt Giantsrest will die with you.”

She waved a hand downwards, indicating the city. “Giantsrest is a dungeon, but it is my dungeon. Together we can hit every target, set the factions against each other and break their power for fifty years. But hear my words, the only way to strike inside the Academy is to have the mages carry problems there. I don't know their protections, but they are suited for a dragon's hoard.”

Nathan looked down. “Maybe you’re right. We work well together, and we should keep working to weaken them. It will set back Badud’s plans anyways, and give Halsmet time to become stable. What we’re doing is also helping me gain [Assassin] levels, and ranks in my stealth and disguise skills. But that won’t be the end.”

He felt for the familiar ember inside, the one that had been present ever since he’d first understood Taeol and everything Giantsrest stood for. He’d once promised himself he’d bring down the slave-empire. That promise hadn't grown weaker with time. It had become a pillar of his identity, a primary reason he walked his Path. “Once we’re done, I’m going in. I will tear down the Ascendant Academy or die trying.”

Nathan paused, watching as Faline delicately sipped her mulled wine. Her eyes never left his face and her expression was intent, as if he was a puzzle for her to solve. Eventually she replied, voice quiet. “As your flame calls, but remember you weigh more as a threat than a sacrifice.”

Nathan sighed. “We have some more time to decide. Can you tell me everything else that might be important for sneaking into the Academy?”

She sighed but acquiesced, telling him everything she knew about the interior of the Academy, from the fact that low-tier students stayed in suites attended by a slave to the usual schedule where students usually had a long class in the morning and another in the afternoon.

After finishing her wine she yawned widely again, leaning back and running her hands through her hair. It shortened under her fingers, seeming to shrink back into her scalp. “My target is sleep.” She cocked one eyebrow at him in a subtle invitation.

Nathan crossed his arms. “I’ll stay up a little longer. We stirred up a lot of chaos tonight, and I don’t want to be caught off-guard in the night if the building gets fireballed in the chaos."

Faline lifted a shoulder in a delicate shrug. “Then I will wake early to discover the outcome of our efforts.”

“On your own?” Nathan asked, surprised.

The assassin’s eyes narrowed, and she looked at him incredulously. “As I’ve been doing since before you were born.” She shook her head and walked into the bedroom, closing the door with a touch too much force.

At least she didn’t make another pass at me.

—

Nathan woke up when Faline left, and gave her a little wave as she left. The assassin was disguised as a grizzled old artisan mage and gave him a grumpy nod.

The night had been boring. He’d stayed up into the early morning, but hadn’t heard any indication that the unrest they’d started was spreading. He rolled over on the couch and went back to sleep.

—

He woke up some time later, sure he hadn’t slept longer than a couple of additional hours. There was no obvious activity outside, so Nathan got up and grabbed some breakfast.

I wonder how long I should wait for Faline to show up. Should I stay here all day, or go looking for her? Where would I look? I don’t really know my way around the city.

There wasn’t long to contemplate the question, because the door banged open as Nathan dug into his meal of fried sausages and toasted graincakes. Faline strode in with a stony expression, back in her leather-clad assassin shape.

“Follow me, we have a problem to kill.” Her voice was clipped, and she was already turning to leave.

Nathan looked down at his breakfast. Then he checked his Stamina. It still wasn’t full after the previous day’s escapade. “Can it wait five minutes for me to eat?”

The assassin turned back to him and rolled her eyes. “Pardon my ax. Eat quickly.”

He proceeded to inhale the food in front of him underneath her impatient glare, eating fast enough he would have gotten heartburn if that was something that could still happen.

Faline watched in silence, then jerked her head as soon as he was done, opening the door and vanishing down the stairs. Nathan shook his head and followed, leaving the dirty dishes on the table.

He caught up to her on the street, looking around and seeing nothing out of the ordinary, which was to say that the street was completely empty. “Couldn't wait to explain inside?”

“The flame we set has been smothered.” She replied, speaking in a clipped voice as she walked. “Badud sent messages in the night, gathering all the factions to his hand.” She hadn’t bothered disguising herself, and while both of their stealth skills were active it was still surprising to see Faline striding the streets of Giantsrest in her leather armor and the same face she publicly showed in Gemore.

Something’s upset her. Or there’s another reason she’s being so cavalier.

“He called every mage of weight to a gathering, so they can hear his words and speak of the tensions.” She hissed the last word, putting derisive emphasis on the description of their efforts over the last few days.

“Are we going to attack that meeting?” Nathan asked thoughtfully.

Can I fight Badud and the gathered archmages?

Faline shook her head sharply. “He has brought them all inside the Academy. None other could allow so many in, but a Founder has that power.” She sighed, but it was a sound of focused anger. “We cannot strike there. They will speak to each other, and discover that none among them launched these attacks. We must act now, and counter Badud’s effort at peace.”

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“How do we do that?”

She shot him a sidelong look as they exited the neighborhood, heading in a new direction. “We will strike in a way they cannot ignore. A deed that burns to the bone, and demands an immediate response.”

Nathan frowned at Faline, but she’d turned her gaze forward and was reaching into her pouch. She tossed a gray robe at him. “Here, wear this.”

The uncertain expression remained on his face as he obeyed, pulling the soft robe over the light clothing he’d slept in. “This is a low-tier student’s robe. Where are we going?”

“The compound of archmage Gergar dho Kav. An older archmage, expert in force and earth magic. He owns some mines, but much of his wealth comes from charging for the use of his Insights in building. Either him or his heirs have created almost all of the roads of Giantsrest and many of the buildings.”

She continued with a slight snort. “He is also famous for having many heirs. I wish we could kill him and set loose that hydra nest, but he’s at Badud’s gathering. Along with his most powerful family. There will be elites at his home, but few mages of great power. We will enter and destroy his wealth.”

Nathan nodded. “Ok, let’s do it. What is our disguise?”

Faline whipped out her green robe. “I am enslavement mage Votel dha Bidz, from Skargess. I bring an unknown child of archmage Kav, so that he” she indicated Nathan, “may be raised with power and wealth, and enter the Academy as is his due.”

“Wait, we’re claiming I’m his son? That seems farfetched.” Nathan gestured to his six-foot-five frame.

The assassin shrugged, stepping into her robe. She hadn’t disrobed as she usually did before changing into a disguise, and the edges of her armor could be seen underneath the robe. “It will get us inside, to wait until the archmage returns. We won’t wait.” Her hair shifted to a curly blonde, and her skin lightened to a creamy tone.

“Ok.” Nathan said distractedly, looking around to see if anybody had noticed them changing disguises in the middle of the street. The streets seemed extra dead, but there were a few people around. None of them seemed to be paying them any attention, and his [Noticeability] skill wasn’t pinging.

Faline walked quickly, barely below a jog, and they crossed the city rapidly. Soon enough they were striding directly towards yet another mansion, this one taller and bulkier than most. It didn’t have an exterior wall and fronted directly onto the street. The entire building almost appeared carved out of a solid block of stone, with even coloration across the entire surface. There were almost no windows, though the surface was fancifully carved with abstract patterns.

They strode up to the door and Faline knocked loudly, waiting a moment before knocking again. A moment later the door was opened, and a somewhat older man stood proudly in the doorway.

“Yes? Why do you visit the home of the Kav?” He said, looking them up and down with quick flicks of his eyes.

“Allow us in, that I may speak to the archmage.” Faline said, holding her own head high. The corner of the man’s mouth quirked, but Faline continued with a sneer. “Or would a slave deny the archmage a meeting that makes his family greater?”

The man blinked. His frown developed farther, but he took Nathan in before nodding shallowly and opening the door wide. He turned and led the way deeper into the building, and Nathan noticed the subtle slave-collar that rested atop his collarbone.

The first thing Nathan noticed was the thickness of the walls. They walked through a corridor nearly twenty feet long before reaching the true entryway, and from what Nathan could tell that was the thickness of the outer wall of the mansion..

There was also a magical sensor that reached out towards them. It resonated with their guide’s collar and then moved onto Faline. It had the same kind of enchantment as the detection spell back in Halsmet - it was looking for a mage mark. Nathan almost blocked it before he realized that Faline had slipped on the ring they’d gotten from Nol dho Chokiz last night.

The spell played over the ring for a moment, and a subtle gem set behind them flashed green. A pair of slave-elites in the room had been watching for the confirmation of Faline’s status, and they gestured politely for her to pass. She dragged Nathan along with her, seemingly not willing to let him stray from her side.

The enchantment reached for him but ran into his aura, and the gem stayed dark. Neither of the slave-elites seemed to mind, which made sense. He was currently dressed as a low-tier student, and mage-marks were only issued on graduation from the Academy.

The first slave led them to a richly decorated sitting room not far inside, then gestured towards a side table with a few accouterments for making tea. “The young heir will show his hand shortly.” Then the man left, closing the door behind him.

Faline waited a few minutes before she snorted, leaning back in her chair and shaking out her curls. “He better hurry his endings-damned butt, or his father will splinter his spells.” Her voice was pitched to carry, as if for an invisible microphone.

Sure enough, once Nathan reached out and looked he found a series of carefully hidden enchantments woven into the room that would transmit anything said deeper into the building.

Faline shot him a fond look. “After all, it is not often one finds a lost child of an archmage, and one with such a Talent.” She cocked her eyebrow at him, inviting him to speak for their hidden audience.

Nathan took a second to craft a response, throwing in some Giantsrest slang to make it stick. “Do we weave the same color as them? Just because this is the home of my father is no reason…”

Mid-tier Disguise 3 achieved!

Faline gave an encouraging nod, but cut him off. “Your father is this place. They will take you, especially with your special Insights. If you work hard you will inherit your father's power, ahead of all others.” The assassin said that last with a sly smile, and then sat back and waited.

They didn’t have to wait long. The door burst open and a young man wearing a purple robe stormed in. His clothing wasn’t fully fastened, but his face was red with anger. He rounded on Nathan. “You. Depart now, or my magic will break you.”

Faline gave a low laugh. “You invite a prophecy of death, boy. What is your blasphemy, to send away your own brother?”

The new arrival rounded on Faline, and stepped right up to her, shouting in her face. “You have no weight here! Leave now, before I bury your bones beneath the earth!”

Faline snorted in his face, utterly refusing to be cowed. “You have dozens of siblings, will one more change your status? Trust my word, your standing could not be worse. Now bring us to your father, that he may judge your brother’s worth.” Her eyes flicked up and down dismissively. “And your own."

The boy’s face purpled even further, and he stepped back, bringing up his hands into a spellcasting position.

[Stone -

Nathan was on his feet in a flash, extending his aura to crack [Mage Armor] and interfere with the spell.

Faline was already standing right next to the mage and clasped one hand around his mouth while the other stabbed rapidly into his chest with an enchanted dagger. A dozen blows later she lowered the body to the ground, carefully avoiding the spreading stain of blood. She spoke into the air. “Do not cast spells on other mages. Outside this room, that would earn you a duel that you cannot afford.”

Magekiller has leveled up to 142! You have participated in killing Rodril dho Kav inside the Kav compound!

She continued speaking, lecturing the now-dead Rodril for the benefit of any listeners. In the meantime, Faline examined his figure before shifting shapes once more and pulling a purple robe from her bag and changing into it. She wasn’t a perfect duplicate of the young man, but backed by Faline’s stealth and look-away skills it would probably suffice so long as they weren’t under direct scrutiny.

Next Faline reached down for the rings on the young man’s fingers, shooting Nathan a questioning look. She imitated Rodril’s voice, giving it a high-pitched squeak. “As you say. I will bring you to a place better suited to wait for my father to return.”

Nathan swept his magical senses through the indicated rings, and found that while they were all magical, only one was significantly so. It seemed to be some kind of identification enchantment that checked for the wearer’s mana signature. Kind of like a mage mark, but with a unique design that probably meant it was only issued to members of the family. He disabled the part of the enchantment that checked the wearer, then gestured towards it.

Faline nodded, plucking the ring from the finger and sliding it onto her own finger. Then she jerked her head and they both left the room by the same entrance Rodril had entered from. Nathan followed a few steps behind, watching as Faline strode authoritatively through the building.

The slave from the entrance stood at the next intersection of hallways, and Faline nodded to him assertively. “Leave her to wait. I will take this one farther in.”

The man bowed deeply, then turned and walked back towards the entrance.

They walked deeper into the mansion. Nathan was pretty sure Faline didn’t know where she was going, but you couldn’t tell. She walked confidently through the public areas of the house and then unlocked a door with her ring, guiding Nathan past another slave-elite guard and into the private portion of the living quarters.

A couple of unclad slaves made come-hither gestures from a nearby room with an open door, but Faline waved dismissively and kept going, walking in a large loop to get her bearings. Then they went up a staircase and repeated the path. She was looking for something, but Nathan wasn’t sure what.

Luckily, there didn’t seem to be any mages out and about. There were a few household slaves hurrying around at various tasks, but they mostly scattered from Faline’s path. None dared meet the eyes of the disguised assassin.

He seems like a real charmer.

On the third floor, there was a large area with an indoor garden illuminated by a skylight on the ceiling. To the side was a series of tables and benches that could seat three dozen, though nobody was present.

Faline seemed to have found what she was looking for. She led Nathan straight towards a wide double-door next to the garden and opened it with her ring. On the far side was a large barracks-style living area, with dozens of kids ranging from eight to fourteen years old sitting around and amusing themselves with toys and small spells.

Status of Nathan Lark:

Permanent Talent 1: Aura of Antimagic 9

Permanent Talent 2: Perfected Body 9

Permanent Talent 3: Airwalking 4

Class: Void of Magic level309

Deepened Stamina: 7482/9570

Void of Feeling

Antimagic Momentum

Raging Thrill

Implacable Inertia

Unarmored Resilience

Magic Anathema

Airborne Agility

Hand-to-hand Expertise

Voluminous Aura

Denial of Wizardry

Mana Severance

Class: Magekiller level 142

Regenerative Focus: 1520/1520

Catastrophic Blows

Battle Stealth

Mage Infiltration

Forgettable

Unsuspecting Strike

Antimagic Stealth

Spell Redirection

Lethal Index

Utility skills:

Battle Meditation 10

Inspiration 1

Acceleration 3

Wizard Senses 4

Alertness 5

Wizard’s Intuition 4

Effortless Dodge 2

Mental Fortress 7

Tutoring 2

High-tier Tumbling 10

High-tier Noticeability 4

Mid-tier Disguise 3

Mid-tier Battle Cry 7

Mid-tier Aura Manipulation 6