Ends of Magic

Nathan watched proudly as the seven remaining antimage candidates lined up in the ruined courtyard, chairs waiting behind them for the events later in the day. He’d described what was going to happen, and given his remaining students another chance to opt out before they got their arms cut off.

“I’m pleased with how hard you’ve all worked.” He said to them all, holding his hands behind his back. “No matter how this afternoon goes, I’ll put in a good word with Olad. You’ll be able to join the fighter training, even if not as an antimage.”

A group of people entered through the gate, causing Nathan to look up from his students. To his mild surprise, it was Myrla, along with most of the other leaders of the newly formed Halsmet council. Nathan recognized Liluce and Camran, but there were almost a dozen more he didn’t know. They carried a few large platters of food, which got placed on tables set along the back of the courtyard. The whole group was guarded by two elites.

Nathan beckoned the new group over, offering a Gemore salute to the mayor of Halsmet as she approached. “I asked for some extra food, but I wasn’t expecting you to deliver it. We’ll only find out how many of the trainees will be able to learn antimagic in a an hour or two. One more day of training after that and you’ll be able to send them to their teams and free up this compound.”

The elderly woman shaded her eyes as she looked at the seven people standing in a line. She nodded firmly and pitched her voice to carry “Those who succeed will stay in this mansion. Their teams will come to them. This is the first class of Halsmet antimages. I beseech prophecy that it will not be the last. This manor will house the antimages of Halsmet as long as they exist. Succeed, and become a force that safeguards our city.”

Nathan’s eyebrows shot up, and he looked over the crowd of attendees in a new light as the antimage candidates stood a little straighter.

She’s making this into a ceremony, and trying to build the antimages into an institution. A bit bold, given that I’m currently the only one who can make new antimages.

He pursed his lips, trying to decide if he wanted to challenge this new direction, or if he felt offended she hadn’t discussed this with him first.

Not especially. I want Halsmet to succeed, and I explicitly offered to train antimages without strings attached so long as I got complete control over their training. I’ll probably be willing to train more later, if I like where they’re going.

He snorted softly, considering the relative status of the new home of Halsmet’s antimages versus the place where their mages were being trained.

Egall’s tucked away in an unobtrusive corner, while this is the second-most prestigious building in the city. It’s a bit worse for the wear, but I’m sure that’ll get fixed once they finish rebuilding the slums. It’s a statement of values, and one tailored to my ego. But it makes sense for Halsmet to build an institution for antimagic and raise it high. Gemore’s far enough away from its former master to be a bit shielded, but Halsmet will be defined by its conflict with Giantsrest.

While Nathan was musing, the leadership of Halsmet started grabbing chairs from inside the mansion and assembling a seating area behind Nathan. Then the Heirs entered the courtyard and paused, looking apprehensive at the presence of the entire leadership of Halsmet.

Nathan walked over to his friends, speaking quietly. “Don’t worry about them. They’re here to make the whole thing more official. It doesn’t change anything for us. I’ll give a bit of a speech, then Aarl and Stella will cut off everybody’s arms and cauterize the wounds. I’ll talk them through the Insight one more time. Khachi will heal everybody who gives up. Clear?”

Khachi grunted his understanding, jerking his head towards the side. A few Halsmet leaders came over to chat with the Heirs once it was clear they were also waiting, and Nathan bustled to take care of last minute details.

He reassured Hetal, who was almost quivering under the attention. Shai was the reverse, and seemed to be drinking in the attention with a faintly euphoric expression. The others were mostly impassive, seemingly filled with a mix of anticipation and apprehension.

Eventually Nathan was satisfied that everything was ready, and he stood in front of the line of students and cleared his throat. The council members settled down and paused conversations once they realized it was starting.

Once everything was ready, Nathan started talking. “You all know what’s going to happen, and I’m proud that you’ve pushed yourselves so hard.This is the part we’ve been preparing for, where we will cut off your arms, and you will use the Insights behind [Regenerate] to heal the wound. There’s food to help refill your Stamina, and a healer who can heal the damage if you have problems. Everybody will leave here unharmed, but it will be bloody and painful before we’re done.”

He paused to meet the eyes of all of his trainees, and they looked back with resolve. Nathan nodded in respect “Hold out your arms, whichever you choose.”

They did so. Most of the outstretched limbs were steady, though Shom’s quivered with fear.

He’s overthinking this, probably caught up in his own head imagining how much this is going to hurt. But he’s still doing it.

Leadership 10 achieved!

“Let this be the last time that magic harms you.” Nathan said in an even voice, gesturing for his friends to commence. “Aarl, Stella, go ahead.”

Aarl strode down the line with his force saber, wielding it with the precision of the master he was. He lopped off every outstretched arm two inches below the elbow in just a few seconds, finishing the job before the people at the end of the line had time to process the gasps of those at the beginning.

Stella followed just behind, holding a jet of intense purple flame. She gently touched it to the stumps, quickly cauterizing each wound. Each of the antimage candidates collapsed back into the chairs waiting behind them afterwards.

Neither she nor Aarl said anything as they returned, and there was an air of quiet solemnity to the affair as the students gripped their arms. Some of them definitely had skills to help manage pain, but not all of them.

Nathan waited for Stella and Aarl to move to the side before he spoke in a calming voice. “Remember my lessons. You have been wounded, and this is not a wound that will heal normally. You must guide your Stamina to the wound and direct your body to regrow your arm. Start with the bone, where the cells that already divide frequently reside. They are inside the bone, and it is the easiest with them. Focus on growing the bone outwards, past the damage. Your Stamina is the fuel and the guidance, but your body knows the plan. You do not need to guide every detail, merely the direction of the healing.”

He continued speaking in this vein for a little while, reminding his students of his lessons. He told them not to worry about Stamina, and to raise their hands if they needed food brought to them.

He wasn’t surprised that the first one to succeed was Shom. The short and somewhat pudgy kid was smart. He’d understood everything Nathan had said, connecting dots and leaping ahead. A tendril of flesh extended from his arm, slowly regrowing the limb.

Excellent, that proves that this Insight is possible for them to learn. Although I have a teaching skill, I think Shom has a learning skill. You don’t need a PhD for this Insight, though I doubt he got mid-tier [Regeneration].

“Good.” Nathan said. “Don’t push it, take your time. This will take a lot of Stamina, so keep going slowly.”

He checked in on the others, repeating the overview of the Insight again before trying variations that he thought might work better for different people. Shai was next, gasping as if she’d just been dunked in icewater. Her arm began regrowing, just like Shom’s had. She looked around victoriously, pleased that she’d been the second one to succeed and checking to ensure everbody had noticed.

Not long after there was a small cheer from Shom, quickly silenced in the solemn atmosphere. Nathan turned to follow his gaze, finding that Hetal’s arm was also regrowing. The quiet dark-skinned girl relaxed, heaving a gentle sigh as flesh extended from her arm once more.

Nathan fetched food from the platters whenever one of his students raised a hand, distributing hearty meat-filled pastries. He’d asked for food that could be eaten with one hand and without a table, and the professional chefs of Halsmet had delivered.

The four remaining students continued straining and Nathan walked each of them through the concepts once more. One of them gave up an hour after he’d been wounded. He looked up at Nathan with angry and pain-filled eyes. “I’m done.”

Nathan waved Khachi over, and the [Divine Justicar] went to a knee before the burly man. “By my power, you are worthy. By the justice of your cause, you shall be whole. By the bravery of your sacrifice, you are healed.”

Golden light illuminated the courtyard as the man’s arm grew back in seconds. He slumped in the chair, then got up and moved to leave, cradling his arm in a memory of pain.

He didn’t have to leave, but I guess he feels ashamed. I think calling out to him would only make him feel worse. I’ll make sure to have a chat with Olad later. He’ll do well as an elite.

After that, it wasn’t long before the others gave up, one by one signaling Khachi to come heal their arms before they left the courtyard behind in disappointment.

The last to give up was Raf, the intense young man staring ahead with gritted teeth. Eventually Nathan knelt down before him, reaching out to gently grab his shoulder. “It’s ok. You can still fight for Halsmet without antimagic.”

Raf nodded, tears in his eyes. He bowed his head, and Khachi healed his arm just like the rest. But he didn’t get up, instead holding out his arm and staring intensely at Aarl “Again. Cut higher up.”

Khachi rumbled disapprovingly. “I cannot heal you agan today.”

“I won’t need it.” Raf said through gritted teeth, gesturing sharply for Aarl.

Nathan frowned down at his student.

Do I let him do it? He’s determined, and it might work. Different people learn in different ways. If it doesn’t work, Khachi can just heal him tomorrow.

“Do it.” Nathan said, and Aarl approached, Stella in tow. They cut and cauterized the wound once more. Raf bent over the arm, staring at the wound like it was the only thing in the world.

Nathan knelt next to him. “Talk to me. What are you thinking?”

“That I need to push harder, use the pain. My Stamina’s in the arm, it’s hot. It’s ready. I want the arm to grow, and it’ll happen if I can focus past the injury. I won’t accept failure, not from this wound. Not from any wound.” Raf’s voice was low and serious.

Let’s try a different framing. He should still have phantom pain from the arm.

“Close your eyes.” Nathan said confidently. “Concentrate on your body. Can you feel the arm still? Does it hurt?”

“Yes. I can feel the hand, but it’s not real. It’s gone.” Raf said.

“Think about the bone. It’s hollow. Concentrate your Stamina there. make it denser than anything else. That’s the power of your body, the fuel for [Regeneration].”

Raf’s voice was barely a whisper. “It hurts worse than the cut.”

“Shove the pain of the bone out of your body, out the end of your arm. You can still feel your hand, your arm. The Stamina and the blood it’s mixed with know the shape of your body. Make it fill in the arm that hurts. Replace pain with Stamina.”

A slow tendril of bone extended from Raf’s stump, and he heaved a deep and shuddering breath at the strange sensation. His eyes flickered open, and his head snapped up with a triumphant expression on his face.

Congratulations, you have developed the [High-tier Lecturing] Utility skill into [Tutoring].

Utility skill: [Tutoring]

This skill will help you explain concepts. This effect will be dramatically increased when explaining to a single person, greatly accelerating their learning and deepening their understanding. It will give you a better understanding of what your student understands and what they do not.

Nathan grabbed onto Raf as he leapt to his feet, stabilizing him and keeping him from falling over. “Some food here please!”

Shai approached and handed over two meat pastries. She gently punched Raf in the shoulder, but her voice was relieved. “You made it.”

The wiry boy was too busy eating to answer.

Nathan got up, walking back towards his position in front of the trainees. He met Shai’s eyes, tilting his head to indicate she should get back into her position. She hurried to comply.

Halsmet’s leadership had stayed throughout the session, occasionally fidgeting and engaging in low conversation, but they’d been respectful and polite. Now they quieted down and directed their attention back to Nathan.

He waited until all of his students were standing in front of him once more, tired from their ordeal but triumphant in their acquisition of the [Regeneration] Talent. Nathan met each of their eyes and started the second part of his speech. “Being an antimage isn’t about being powerful. It doesn’t let you knock over fortresses or reap foes on a battlefield. In fact, antimagic makes you less powerful than a normal fighter.”

He paused, seeing that his students were drinking in his words.

“Being an antimage is about denying somebody else’s power. The mages of today can throw fireballs and cast [Earthquake] to destroy cities. The mages of the past could topple mountains and bring down the sky. Their smallest leavings threaten everybody. Most of the dangers of Davrar are rooted in magic.”

He waved his arms around to encompass the world around them. “Magic is how the mages control Giantsrest. They hoard Insights and channel their wealth to enchantments that allow each mage to control hundreds or thousands of people. Magic enables power and dominance in a way that other classes do not. Mind magic, flight, invisibility, mass destruction. Each of those things is something that a high-leveled elite can accomplish without magic, if they dedicate their build to it.

“But a mage can do them all, at half the level. Magic on Davrar is more powerful than any other Path, and lends itself to control and domination of those without magic. Even those without the Insights of a mage use enchantments, placing those with wealth above those without it.”

Nathan stabbed his finger towards the line of students waiting in front of him. “Equalizing those imbalances is the Path of the Antimage. It is your Path to bring down those who rely on magic and wealth. Tear away their advantages and see what they are without them.

“What’s left to a mage when their magic is gone? What power does a warrior have when you break their enchanted blade? The power of their body, and the power of their spirit. This is why I’ve been pushing you so hard, and why you must always grow stronger. You must be tougher, more resilient than everybody else, so that when nobody has any advantages, you will triumph. And with your triumph, you will keep your people safe.”

I could keep going, but I think I’m going to call it there.

The four remaining students looked at him with eager eyes, drinking in the spectacle. Raf looked vindicated, his face intense and expectant. Shai was even more pleased, looking almost blissful at being told she mattered.

Hetal was the least responsive, but even the reserved girl seemed moved by Nathan’s words. Faint tears glittered in her eyes as she stared at him unblinkingly. Shom just watched Nathan with a wide grin on his face, nodding along with the speech as if he was listening to an interesting lecture.

Congratulations, you have developed the [Leadership] Utility skill into [Inspiration].

Utility skill: [Inspiration]

This skill will inspire and motivate those around you. It will encourage them to follow your example, and reward them with a measure of your strength and abilities. It will also help you communicate your earnest convictions, and people will naturally look to you as a leader.

“Now, it is time to grant you antimagic. Bow your heads and stay calm.” Nathan stepped up to Shom and put his hand to the top of the young man’s head. He concentrated his aura, purging his student of all mana, even the trace ambient mana of Davrar. He closed his own eyes and focused on his new senses, probing for the latent connection that would allow Shom to develop a mana pool, even if he didn’t take a mage class.

Artha could cast spells. You get a mage class by having the [Mana Shaping] Talent or something like it, but that Insight requires you to shape mana. There must be something there that everybody has.

Shom didn’t have a pool of mana like he’d felt from mages, but there was still something there, a kind of faint tether that reached across the barrier to that place where mana pools existed. Nathan bored through the barrier with his aura and sliced through the tether, detaching Shpm from magic. The wizardry snapped in both directions as if it had been under tension, and Shom jerked in surprise at the sensation.

Wizard’s Intuition 2 achieved!

“Did you get the [Magic Resistance] Talent?” Nathan asked quietly, removing his hand.

Shom nodded, whispering back. “Mid-tier.”

Good. The combination of puging mana from their bodies and severing them from mana is enough.

With confirmation that he’d figured it out, Nathan moved down the line. He quickly repeated the action with each of his other students, getting faster each time. Afterwards, he returned to his central position and looked at them. “It’s done. Congratulations.”

There was a faint smattering of applause, and Myrla walked up to stand next to Nathan. “Well done. You are the first Antimages of Halsmet, and we will bend our efforts to ensure your victory and power. I challenge you to leave a legacy that will continue beyond the Ending of History.”

If I was going to get a third class, I think it would have been right there. The [Student] and [Scientist] classes I turned down at the very beginning must have been too close. Oh well, [Tutoring] is pretty good.

Myrla turned and beckoned to the rest of the leadership that it was time to leave. “Now, we’ll leave your hands free for celebration. Drinks are on the way.”

The mayor was as good as her word, and that night Nathan and the Heirs partied with the newly minted antimages. They celebrated the beginning of their Paths.

Nathan let down his guard for the first time, no longer treating them like students he needed to stay professional around. The Heirs spoke to the newly minted antimages with respect, and he could see the impact it had on their confidence. Nathan and his friends offered lots of advice to the new antimages. It was less the kind of teaching and training that Nathan had been giving them and more experienced Adventurers telling stories and communicating lessons about when to attack and when to run away.

Stella cast a few spells for everybody to play around with their new Talent, and they had fun sticking their hands into the magical fire. It seemed to grant them all some easy initial rank-ups. Raf started talking to Khachi, and the wolfman seemed to recognize a kindred spirit in the intense young man.

Shai spent a good portion of the night flirting with Aarl, and Nathan rolled his eyes as they snuck away into the manor to find a bedroom. Sarah shook her head and said something biting to Hetal, who covered her mouth with a hand to laugh.

Meanwhile, Nathan stayed up late answering questions for Shom, barely restraining himself from mentioning Earth. The short kid was just so curious about everything, and Nathan found himself wanting to talk about things that would blow the younger man’s mind.

Instead he glanced around the fire-lit courtyard, reflecting that this chapter of his life was about to end. He’d have one day to explain antimagic to his students, and then he’d leave at dawn the next day to go to Giantsrest. He would be gone, and wouldn’t be able to help them anymore.

At least it seems like they’ll have plenty of support from Halsmet. I know they’ll be doing risky stuff, but if they die it won’t be due to a lack of support.

Utility skill: High-Tier Lecturing

This skill will help you explain concepts, smoothing over gaps and aiding greatly in explanation and understanding. It will help your students connect their own knowledge to what you say, but will not fill in details you do not know, and will not help you suppress people’s doubts about what you are teaching.

Utility skill: Tutoring

This skill will help you explain concepts. This effect will be dramatically increased when explaining to a single person, greatly accelerating their learning and deepening their understanding. It will give you a better understanding of what your student understands and what they do not.

Utility skill: [Leadership]

You have used honest conviction to rally the confused and angry to your cause. This skill will help portray the intense conviction you have in your purpose, and encourage people to follow your example. In addition, people will look to you as a leader, and this skill will help you encourage, reassure, and coordinate those who align themselves with you.

Utility skill: [Inspiration]

This skill will inspire and motivate those around you. It will encourage them to follow your example, and reward them with a measure of your strength and abilities. It will also help you communicate your earnest convictions, and people will naturally look to you as a leader.

Status of Nathan Lark:

Permanent Talent 1: Aura of Antimagic 9

Permanent Talent 2: Perfected Body 9

Permanent Talent 3: Airwalking 3

Class: Void of Magic level297

Deepened Stamina: 8031/9210

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 117

Regenerative Focus: 1270/1270

Catastrophic Blows

Battle Stealth

Mage Infiltration

Forgettable

Unsuspecting Strike

Antimagic Stealth

Spell Redirection

Lethal Index

Utility skills:

Battle Meditation 10

Inspiration 1

Acceleration 2

Wizard Senses 2

Alertness 4

Wizard’s Intuition 2

Effortless Dodge 1

Mental Fortress 6

Tutoring 1

High-tier Tumbling 10

High-tier Noticeability 2

Low-tier Quiet Movement 4

Low-tier Disguise 4

Mid-tier Battle Cry 7