Ends of Magic

Nathan sped towards the sounds of destructive magic, bounding through the air in a straight line as he soared over houses. A golem below looked up, but Nathan was gone before it could react.

The outer walls of Giantsrest are no joke. I hope I get there in time to help.

The gate he was headed to was nearly a mile away, and even at Nathan’s top speed it would still take him over a minute to get there. All he could do was watch the towers to either side of the gate and hope the Heirs could handle themselves. Each of the towers was enchanted with archmage-level magic that could destroy armies, and if there were any defenders left they would be rushing to activate the enchantments.

The leftmost tower sparked and activated, sending a torrent of lightning into the farmland that surrounded the city. The crackling energy lit the night, strobing across the buildings and reflecting from the distant mountains as a deafening wave of sound rolled out. The spell continued for fifteen seconds before cutting off and leaving behind a sudden stillness like an indrawn breath. The quiet was broken as yet another plasma-tinged explosion sounded against the wall. The enchanted gatehouse slumped slightly, stones raining down into the streets behind the gate as the magic reinforcing the structure splintered.

Sounds like they’re doing fine.

The right tower started to activate, sending a puff of fire shooting out the front before sputtering out. Then the entire edifice detonated in a bloom of flame. A burning mushroom cloud rose as the hundred foot tall tower exploded like it had been made entirely of dynamite. Stone shrapnel was launched in all directions, and the blast wave rolled across the city, collapsing many of the nearby buildings.

More than fine. I wonder how they pulled that off. I sure hope Stella didn't figure out any nuclear Insights.

Half of the gatehouse had been blown away by the explosion, and the rest collapsed in a roar of falling stone. Dust fountained out from the crumbling structure, and the entire area was covered in an obscuring cloud that blended into the darkness.

Nathan was getting close. He paused, eying the dust in annoyance. He was getting a bit frustrated at the way every big explosion or collapsing building created huge plumes of dust that blocked his sight and made it hard to navigate. Was he just supposed to wander around until he found the Heirs?

A flash of armor caught Nathan’s eye, and he looked sideways to see a group of slave-elites charge out of a wrecked side street, headed directly towards the fallen gate. They were formed into a disciplined phalanx around two war-mages, and some kind of force magic enhanced the entire group’s movement speed.

A quick reaction force of some kind. Let’s take care of that.

Nathan dropped from the sky, spending Focus to keep himself inconspicuous and Stamina to move as quickly as possible. The group entered the cloud of billowing dust, but he tracked the mages with his magical senses and closed in on them like a missile. Nathan impacted like a rock from a catapult, pulping one of the mages underfoot and cracking the cobbles of the street below.

Visibility Control 2 achieved!

The other mage reacted nearly instantly with a flare of dimensional magic.

[Blink]

But Nathan knew that spell, and his aura was already extended towards the man. He’d learned how to destructively interfere with spellcasting, and the spell triggered in a flare of unbalanced energies. The mage vanished in a pop of light - but instead of rematerializing in his target spot he ended up evenly spread across fifty feet of the street.

That’s a new one. Gross.

Spellslayer has leveled to 437! You have slain the mages Bragdan dho Moz and Ton dho Nian from stealth and surprise!

The elites also reacted quickly, and Nathan dodged three attacks before getting smashed in the back by a warhammer. He healed the broken spine in an instant and turned the tumble into a leap, getting out of easy reach and gaining a moment of calm. He spread his aura out and clenched his fist, crushing two dozen slavery enchantments at once without letting any of the failsafes trigger.

High-tier Aura Manipulation 7 achieved!

Then Nathan winced and pulled out the various darts and throwing knives they’d hit him with in the meantime. One of them had bounced off his forehead, but most of the rest had sunk into his torso. They were all poisoned.

What a fascinating cocktail of toxins. Whoever led this group liked their alchemy.

Void of Magic has leveled to 562! You have easily wiped out an elite Giantsrest quick-reaction force!

Nathan looked down at the confused elites, summoning the right words. He’d discovered the key to waking the slave-elites from their confusion back in Halsmet, and had only refined it since. He could feel his [Inspiration] skill quivering inside of him, eager to fulfill its purpose by giving these ex-slaves a new purpose.

[Inspiration] may be my strongest skill. I can do a lot, but inspiring a hundred people can do a lot more.

“As of this moment, you belong only to yourself!” Nathan cried out, his voice loud and resonant. “To Giantsrest you are weapons, tools to kill before you are discarded. You were born property, and have never had a choice in who you kill, in what you are.”

The elites were looking up at Nathan now, some awestruck, some angry. “That ends today!” Nathan yelled back in their faces. “You are free, and you must decide what that means! You can kill slavers and protect towns, start a family or run a bakery - your dreams are yours. You merely need to reach out and take them! Find your dream, and chase it with all of your newfound freedom.”

He was answered with a roar of affirmation, most of the elites looking up at him with the expressions of men given hope for the first time.

Inspiration 5 achieved!

Nathan inhaled to keep speaking and almost choked on the dust, coughing for a few seconds before turning an angry glare at the cloud. He cleared his throat and yelled as loud as he could towards the gate. “Stella! Clear the dust, please!” His voice boomed as if he’d used concert speakers.

Mid-tier Battle Cry 9 achieved!

There was a faint laugh that Nathan could barely pick out with his enhanced perception, and then the wind grew stronger until it was a gale. The dust cloud cleared in an instant, and Nathan looked up at the fallen gate and smiled.

Four figures stood there, silhouetted by the scattered fires lit by the giant explosion. Aarl floated just about the ground, clad in braided metal armor that wouldn’t have looked out of place in a science-fiction movie. He wielded a Questor’s light-drinking sword in one hand and a greatsword that buzzed with energy in the other.

Khachi stood firmly next to him, the armored wolf-man radiating an angelic golden aura that lit the broken stone he stood on in warm tones. His hammer glowed as if fresh from the forge, and his shield had been inscribed with curving glyphs that hummed with divine power.

Behind them was Sarah, dressed in dark leather that helped her brown skin blend into the night. Her eyes were constantly moving, scanning over Nathan quickly before flicking to the streets and the roofs to look for threats. Bandoliers criss-crossed her chest, carrying cartridges for the rifle and supporting revolvers on each hip.

The last member of the Heirs was off to the side, standing on her own. Stella’s eyes shone with blue lightning, and more dripped from her hands and arced out from her skin, as if she’d become a tesla coil. Her braid of red hair swung lazily behind her, and over each of her shoulders sat tubes of contained light that pivoted around to follow her gaze.

I guess she figured out how to make the laser spell mobile.

Several of the freed elites saw Stella’s magic and hissed, readying weapons and spreading out to ready themselves for combat against a mage. But they looked back in confusion when Nathan laughed long and loud, his amusement rumbling out over the ruined gate and nearby neighborhoods.

He started jogging towards the Heirs, speaking to the elites over his shoulder. “They're not foes. Decide what you want to do next. I can guide you to the other freed slaves of Giantsrest, or you can go to Halsmet.”

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Then he turned his attention forward and saw the Heirs regarding him with smiles on their faces. He dropped to the rubble, striding forward with his arms held wide. “Welcome to Giantsrest! Glad you could make it!”

Sarah responded in an acerbic tone, her smile betraying the sarcasm. “City looked nicer a few days ago. You must have truly woken the Giant. Then killed it.”

Nathan couldn’t help but smirk. “You don’t know how right you are.”

Aarl was next, giving Nathan a salute with Brox’s sword as strands of metal crawled down his neck to reveal his face. His features were nearly identical to Sarah’s and he looked Nathan up and down before clicking his tongue. “You are returning to old habits. Barely clothed and covered with blood.”

Nathan looked down and sighed. He was still wearing the badly-fitting pants he’d acquired earlier in the day, but only barely. “In my defense, almost none of this blood is mine. I landed on a war mage back there.” He pointed back towards the watching elites.

Khachi ignored the interplay, stepping forward and offering his arm with a proud expression. “Your tally of deeds is weighty. All can see that the Ascendent Academy has fallen. What of the Questor?”

“Dead.” Nathan said, reaching forward and grasping Khachi’s armored forearm as their auras engaged in a respectful dance. Nathan could tell his own was stronger, but didn't exert that strength. “Well. I killed him, but I don’t think he’s dead. We need to have a longer conversation at some point.” He stepped back and caught the cleaning rags and change of clothes that Aarl tossed his way.

The wolfman nodded thoughtfully, his lips pursed. “We follow your light.”

Stella strode up, most of her spellwork banished. She put her arms on her hips and glowered up at Nathan. “So. What’s the count?”

“What count?" Nathan replied innocently. "You need to be more specific. I killed a lot of mages. There’s several hundred freed slaves back that way.” He pointed back into the city.

Stella rolled her eyes. “No, what level. In both classes. I want to know how far behind I am.”

A low growl came from Khachi. “Don’t be burned by your own fire.”

Nathan shrugged. “Like I said, I killed a lot of mages. And a Questor.”

Stella blew air out from between her cheeks. “I just want to see the target I’m aiming at, and know if we can still fight by your side. Where are we going? Are we escorting people back to Halsmet?”

Nathan hesitated. “I’m not sure yet. It’s been a busy day. There’s a fortified neighborhood where I’ve been gathering people I’ve freed, let’s get back there first.” Then he looked at Stella. “562 for my Antimage class, 437 for the Assassin. But there’s a lot I can’t do. Like blast holes in city walls.”

He glanced back at the ruins of the enchanted tower. “Why did that blow up, anyway? Did you hit it with something, Stella?”

She shook her head. “Sarah shot it with an enchanted bullet when it ramped up the spell. Made the enchantment self-immolate.” She turned towards her gun-toting friend. “How did you do that?”

Sarah replied laconically. “My class is about spotting and hitting weakspots. I’ve gotten better.”

“Let’s get moving.” Aarl said, pointing towards the freed elites, who were starting to get impatient and whisper amongst themselves while watching the Heirs talk. “Nathan, guide our path.”

Gasc and the other elites can hold out for half an hour. I can take the time to guide everybody back.

“Right.” He strode forward onto thin air, calling out to the watching fighters. “A bunch of freed slaves are forted up in the Chokiz industrial district, and we are going there. You can come, or you can do something else.” He pointed out of the city walls, towards the mountains. “The city of Halsmet is free, and will take you in. That’s likely the best path if you don’t want to fight anymore.”

He turned back to his friends. “There are a bunch of giant rogue golems running around the city, trying to kill everybody. They’re stronger, tougher and faster than any other golems we’ve faced, and can cast a few spells, especially light-beams from the eyes. They also throw rocks really fast. No specific weaknesses other than shattering their bodies.”

Aarl made an exasperated noise as his helmet crawled back over his face. “Hear me, this sounds like a tale for the ages.”

Nathan just smirked in response, then took off at a jog. “This way!” He looked back to see that about three-quarters of the elites were following, the rest split between scattering out into the city and leaving through the giant hole in the walls.

There was a whooshing sound overhead accompanied by a bundle of air mana. Nathan looked up to see Aarl flying overhead and called up to him. “That’s new. How did that happen?”

“I figured out [Fly].” Stella floated down next to Aarl, lounging mid-air as she kept up with him effortlessly. “It gets disrupted by my most destructive spells though.”

Sarah broke in. “And we don’t all trust it yet. Aarl was battered by her first attempts.”

“Well, I hope you can all join me in the sky soon…” Nathan broke off, head snapping around as he spotted a golem barreling out of a side alleyway towards them. He called out a warning and pivoted sharply, reaching out with his aura to start breaking down its magic. It was going to take a minute, and he needed to keep it away from the elites following along behind.

Alertness 9 achieved!

Aarl was faster. He zipped right over the golem’s head, black sword swinging faster than Nathan could see. The golem’s head and both arms fell from its body. It stumbled forward, the torso continuing out into the street.

Khachi barely broke pace as he slammed his hammer into the golem’s torso. The strike let out a blast of light and the huge statue was hurled a dozen feet down the street. Its stomach was cratered where the warhammer had struck, and it didn’t rise again.

Huh. They’re definitely faster at killing those than I am.

They faced no more interruptions as they moved with purpose through the streets of Giantsrest. Curtains twitched closed ahead of them, but not very many. Many of the mages had already fled, though Nathan wasn’t sure where they’d gone.

There are other satellite cities of Giantsrest. Ardglass, Azamar, Skargess and Lerwick. But what about the mages who remain? There have to be thousands, and we can’t just kill them all. I don’t want this to be my problem. I did what I came to do, now I want to leave. Freeing slaves and killing mages is one thing, deciding the fates of all of the artisan and entertainment-mages is another.

Before long they were approaching the Chokiz estate, and Nathan’s teeth bared in a snarl as he heard the sounds of combat. He bounded into the air, calling backwards as he did. “There’s fighting. It’s just ahead and to the right.”

Aarl and Stella joined him in the air, and Nathan went over the rooftops directly towards the next fight.

I suppose half an hour away was too long. At least I’m with the Heirs. It feels like I have a full toolbox again.

Status of Nathan Lark:

Permanent Talent 1: Arcane Nullfield 6

Permanent Talent 2: Immortal Body 4

Permanent Talent 3: Airwalking 7

Class: Void of Magic level 562

Deepened Stamina: 14601/17160

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: Spellslayer level 437

Regenerative Focus: 4301/4470

Catastrophic Blows

Battle Stealth

Mage Infiltration

Forgettable

Sneaky Blow

Antimagic Stealth

Magical Manipulation

Lethal Index

Wizard Resistance

Magic Jammer

Controlled Failure

Utility skills:

Wizard’s Meditation 7

Inspiration 5

Acceleration 8

Wizard’s Detection 5

Alertness 9

Wizard’s Understanding 6

Effortless Dodge 6

Mental Vault 2

Tutoring 3

Parkour 7

Visibility Control 2

High-tier Disguise 2

Mid-tier Battle Cry 9

High-tier Aura Manipulation 7