Ends of Magic

Faline wasn’t a great cook. In fact, she was pretty terrible. At least she was able to warm and soften the preserved pemmican, mixing it with a bland grain. He tried to ignore the burnt edges.

Nathan didn’t consider himself much better, but he’d lived on his own for more than a year before he’d come to Davrar. He could manage eggs or a stir-fry. Unfortunately for them both, the cooking equipment was enchanted and Faline wanted to keep it that way, so she handled the cooking.

Over dinner Faline described their next move. “Trust my word, we should stay hidden for tonight. I want a building sense of smoke and blood in the city, not a spree of sudden attacks. I want news of the killings to spread across Giantsrest, leading all to wonder what may come next.”

“What does come next?” Nathan asked, awkwardly trying to scratch his back through the heavy mage robe she’d given him. “Are we going to find somebody else from this ‘hedonist’ faction and kill them so they start getting paranoid?”

Faline’s answering smile was a picture of menace. “No. We will find a gathering. A party if one occurs, a meeting if one does not. The is always a party in Giantsrest, and tomorrow morning I will hunt it down. Then we will strike.”

“Can I come? I want to train up some skills, and sneaking around the city has been good for skill ranks so far.”

Faline rolled her shoulders in a languid shrug. “As your flame calls. You are a good companion to have, making barriers of adamant evaporate like mist.“ The assassin stood, casually tossing her plate into the sink. “Clean up, and we can become comfortable.” She spoke with a suggestive lilt, and sauntered over towards the bedroom.

Nathan grumbled, getting to his feet and thinking about what was about to happen. Faline had been trying to seduce him ever since they’d entered the city. He wasn’t sure if she was about to proposition him or if she was waiting for him to make the first move. The intent was clear either way.

I’m of half a mind to go along with it. She’s impressive, powerful and hot. And who’s never had a fantasy of a lover who can change shape and even sex? Exciting in all sorts of ways. But I’m also not sure I trust her, and that’s a bigger deal.

He frowned as he scrubbed at the plates under the cold water of the tap. There was plumbing in the apartment, but it was limited to a single cold water tap in the kitchen and a running trough in the bathroom. But he was glad that doing the dishes meant he had a chance to think this decision through. While it would certainly be exciting and fun to get into it with Faline, it would be an extra risk. Being attracted to somebody hot was one thing, but having sex in the middle of enemy territory with the only person who could guide him through that territory seemed dumb.

It’s like something out of a Bond movie, where he sleeps with somebody and you immediately know they’re either going to betray him or die. This isn’t a spy movie, but there’s certainly the risk that sleeping with Faline goes terribly. Under these conditions we can’t exactly have a one-night fling and go our separate ways if it doesn't work out.

Though - Davrar wasn’t Earth, and it didn’t have the same social paradigms. Both he and Faline were adults, and if they talked about it then maybe they could have some great sex without complications. Nathan certainly wanted to on a physical level. But there was still doubt in his mind, reservations that wouldn’t quite go away.

I think she used social skills to influence me towards killing people back in Halsmet. I’m not sure about that, but I did notice that I was only able to really stand up to her after my [Mental Fortress] Development.

The thought triggered another memory, and Nathan remembered the aftermath of the battle against Giantsrest. He’d stood over dozens of surrendered mages with Kia arguing for mercy on one shoulder and Faline promoting slaughter on the other.

I got a rank of [Mental Fortress] when I told her no. That reinforces but does not confirm my suspicions. Why didn’t I notice it at the time? Was there another mental skill, or did I just have too much to think about at the time?

“Are the dishes clean yet?” Faline asked from the bedroom of the apartment. She stood silhouetted wearing a dressing gown of sheer fabric, almost a negligee. It was a dark purple but thin enough to show the paleness of her skin through the fabric. She wasn’t wearing any underwear.

Nathan sighed, looking down at the dishes and realizing that they’d been clean for a little while. He set them to dry, and met Faline’s smoking gaze.

Decision time. Ultimately I’m worried that I’m a tool to her, and this might just be a way for her to control me. As long as I’m careful here I can always say yes later, when we’re not literally in the heart of Giantsrest. When things aren’t quite so complicated, and I trust her more.

He nodded as he came to his decision, making sure to engrave his choice into his memory. He wouldn't change his mind unless he had good reason to. He met Faline’s eyes and gestured towards the couch in the sitting room. “I’ll sleep there. I can use my bedroll if you don’t have spare blankets.”

Mental Fortress 7 achieved!

The beautiful woman looked at him with an unreadable expression before responding with a single syllable.

“Ah.”

There was a volume of meaning packed into the word, conveying disappointment at his refusal and assurance that she wasn’t upset. The sultry look she shot him over her shoulder as she turned away communicated that the offer was still open.

Now let’s just see if she keeps pushing.

—

They left the apartment early the next morning with an imperceptible distance between them that hadn’t existed before. Faline wasn’t quite so familiar with him, but she still flirted mildly and got into his personal space a few times. She managed to skirt the line masterfully, backing off right before he was about to bring it up every time.

Nathan decided to let things lie. They were here to destabilize an empire, and he wanted all of their focus on that task. “We should have different disguises today. Those mages might have told somebody that a young couple were looking for the Stedst’s. Maybe two brothers?” Nathan suggested.

Faline shook her head dismissively. “An attractive appearance makes information gathering an easier target.” She pursed her lips. “I can be your younger sister, recently graduated from the academy.” She pulled out the pink robe of an entertainment mage for herself and gestured for Nathan to reuse the same enslavement mage robe as before.

They left the safehouse shielded by Faline’s skills until they reached a neighborhood where two mages wouldn’t be remarked upon. Then they found a local cafe where ten mages were engaged in a freewheeling discussion. Unsurprisingly the gossip centered around the maneuvering of the various groups as they tried to grab power from the sudden vacuum that had resulted from the death of so many powerful and prominent mages during the battle. The current focus seemed to be trying to figure out how the death of the Stesdt couple fit into the political maneuvering that dominated the city.

Nathan did more listening than talking, but he did speak up a few times where there was an obvious gap. He kept Faline’s advice in mind, trying not to say anything falsifiable while suggesting twisty motives for the murders on the parts of the Nails and the archmages.

Low-tier Disguise 8 achieved!

The chief gossipmongers seemed to be the trio of mages who owned the cafe. They held court from a raised plinth, resting on overstuffed couches. The three of them generally agreed that the murder had been caused by the favors accumulated by the couple, though it was uncertain if the killer had owed a favor and not wanted it called in or if they’d wanted to prevent the Stedst from providing those favors to an ally.

“The mana doesn’t flow clean for either path,” said one of the three atop the plinth. The thin-faced man shook his head disdainfully. “It is a time of ascension, but some mages see only the truth of the fist, and not the waste of a senseless killing.”

Faline seemed satisfied that they’d extracted all the gossip they could and led him on, closer to the center of the city. There Nathan caught his first glimpse of the base of the Ascendant Academy, where the colossal grouping of towers merged into a monolithic structure. From here it was obvious that the Academy wasn’t built with the same methods as the rest of the city.

Many of the buildings of Giantsrest had decoration, especially here in the heart of the city. But the portion of the Academy that fronted onto the square looked like a cathedral, built huge and with aesthetics as a primary goal. And that aesthetic was magic. Enormous stone carvings reminded Nathan of mana flows for various spells, and perpetual examples of the spells hovered above each if the massive carvings. The very architecture made it clear that this was a place to learn magic, and you could likely learn small Insights by just studying the exterior architecture. But the grand entryway was closed, and several exquisitely carved fifteen-foot golems stood before them to guard the way.

Faline directed them towards the other end of the square, where there was a kind of forum area. Several dozen mages were gathered to speak and to listen, taking turns to cast their voices wide from enchanted podiums. A tall older man in an orange robe was speaking authoritatively, and everybody listened attentively to his words. “... Badud’s imminent recovery is a prophecy of doom for the greedy. Heed my warning. If you should reach your hand upwards, you will lose your fingers.”

Several mages sent evaluating glances towards Nathan and Faline as they approached, quickly checking them over. They failed whatever the test was, and were summarily ignored as irrelevant.

The next speaker was a sharp-faced young woman in the red robe of a war mage. She stood on a second platform and clasped her hands together in a Giantsrest salute. “This is a time of ascension, when prophecies are resolved and Giantsrest rises, or falls. Those very words mean that it is time to reach upwards. It is time for every mage to rise beyond what they are capable of, that our great empire itself will be borne upon the swell of our magic. Many have died, and their duties lay empty. ”

The war mage gave the salute again, this time towards the orange-robed man who had just finished speaking. “Lecturer Tirof dho Favis, I hold your words with respect. But I would raise my hand to say that those who reach upwards now do it to fulfill the responsibilities of those who have fallen, not to seize their riches. To tell us to shackle our mana now is to deny Giantsrest the loyal children it needs to seize glory.”

The crowd seemed receptive to her words, with approving murmurs breaking out across the gathering. Most of those who spoke were younger and stood closer to the woman’s side of the forum. She wasn’t without supporters.

“We risk a splintered spell.” Said the other man. “If you think only of the glory of Giantsrest, wait until the founder and the archmages decide upon a path. Then once the path is set, follow their words.”

His tone was a bit dismissive, and it clearly rankled the woman. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a second, regathering her calm. Then she opened them and spoke in a sharp but measured tone. “If we are to aid Giantsrest, we must contribute to the decisions that are made. Many who led are dead, and you will not find new leaders by acting as the Nails. Bring those who wish to strain their Insight into the discussion. We will Develop ourselves into what Giantsrest needs, and act according to the decisions we contribute to making.”

The subtext of what the woman was saying was clear. She was ambitious, and was offering her allegiance and that of her followers in return for a place at the table. There was also a threat in her words, that they would not listen to the older leaders of Giantsrest if they didn’t feel like they had a voice.

This reminds me of what I remember hearing about ancient Athenian democracy.

The man studied her for a second, then seemed to come to a decision. “Well argued. Niray dha Norenusk, you may attend the gathering this afternoon at the Chokiz estate. Come in three hours, and expect to stay late. Your voice will be heard.” His mouth twitched in a smile. “Come hungry, for Nol dho Chokiz serves the best food outside the Academy.”

The woman smiled victoriously. She bowed her head to Tirof and repeated the salute. “A handful of blessings upon you. I will come to raise my hand, that we may lift Giantsrest ever higher.”

Tirof stepped down from the platform and started reaching out to people and shaking hands. Two hazy patches in the air moved with him. They’d been out of sight for Nathan, but he recognized the distinctive look of an invisibility spell.

Probably Tirof’s bodyguards. They might have skills to see through stealth. We already got the information we needed, time to skedaddle.

Nathan elbowed Faline gently and took a step backwards, trying not to stare at the disguised people flanking the orange-robed man. He felt their gazes pan over him and spent a minimal amount of focus to divert their attention while they beat a a hasty retreat. Faline's stealth skills were also active, and he felt sure they'd avoided notice.

High-tier Noticeability 4 achieved!

They strolled away without a care in the world, joining a few other mages who had decided the show was over and it was time to do other things.

After a few minutes Nathan shot another look around, making sure to scan the sky and the nearby rooftops. “We’re clear, they didn’t follow us. It sounds like the Chokiz estate would make a good target. Do you know where that is?”

Faline wore an eager expression. “It is a fortress of an estate, owned by one of the richest enslavement mages in Giantsrest. I have been trying to kill him for a decade. Now he has received a prophecy of death, and we shall deliver it.”

“Sounds like it couldn’t happen to a nicer person.” Nathan said sarcastically. Then he shook his head in mild bewilderment. “That was great timing. I was expecting it to be pretty difficult to get the information we needed.”

“Bard skills.” Faline said simply. “You have benefited from [Dramatic Entrance], but I also have [Helpful Gossip].”

She gestured down the street, a grin revealing sharpened teeth. “Let us find lunch, and prepare our approach to the Chokiz estate. There are disguises that will make our attack blasphemously confusing to our foes.”

—

Nathan and Faline scouted out the Chokiz estate and established their entry point, then waited until the party was well and truly underway before making their move. The property covered a huge tract of land in the inner section of Giantsrest, the size of the area as much a declaration of wealth as the fabulous manor house that was barely visible from the front gate.

They didn’t enter from that direction, judging the number of guards too high. With that much security, it was very likely that a few of the slave-elites would have perception skills. Instead Nathan picked up Faline again and they popped over a set of tenements at the back of the property. There was a set of magical protections to prevent anybody coming in that way, but they didn’t extend high into the sky and Nathan found it simple enough to carry Faline over the barrier.

The area within was the industrial heart of the Chokiz business empire, with well-organized workshops, forges and warehouses sharing space with dormitories and cafeterias. Slaves toiled even as the evening wore on, smelting metal to produce armor and weapons, as well as other sundries from nails to wheel-rims.

Faline directed them to drop down in a blind spot behind a warehouse and they faded from notice with the combined weight of several stealth skills. Faline was disguised as a man a bit older than Nathan, skin rough from hard living. Both of them were dressed in rough undyed clothes, much the same as all of the slaves around them.

As they walked around the corner Nathan spotted something promising set against the wall of a warehouse and looked around to see if there was anybody watching. Then he hustled over to the object, grabbing it and passing the other end to Faline.

She seemed unconvinced, but shrugged and accepted. She grew a few inches to match his height and hoisted the top of the stepladder onto her shoulder before leading them deeper into the manufacturing complex.

Two people with a ladder on their shoulders can go anywhere.

Low-tier Disguise 9 achieved!

They navigated their way through the slave-quarters like that, passing through several magical sensors that checked for tokens that would authorize them to pass into various areas. Nathan bypassed each one in turn, reaching out with his aura to hotwire the spell to approve everybody, not just those who bore the correct token.

The aura manipulation skill is amazing. It’s like messing with machinery with a proper toolbox, where before I only had a sledgehammer. Granted, you can do a lot with a sledgehammer, but not if the goal is subtlety.

It took almost a half-hour of walking to pass out of the industrial area of the Chokiz estate, but they eventually reached the edge of the rich parkland that surrounded the mansion. Trees poked over the wall that surrounded the estate, and slave-elites stood to the sides. Their eyes glazed over as Nathan and Faline walked up and regarded the closed gate, Faline's stealth skills ensuring the two guards saw nothing out of the ordinary.

The assassin shot a worried look back at Nathan, but he was concentrating. The lock on this gate was elaborate. It was designed to be hard to hack, and there were multiple layers of redundant alarms to detect when the gate was opened improperly, as well as five different levels of authentication.

It might have been easier to just go over the wall. There’s a lot of eyes around here, but we have a lot of stealth skills.

He kept at it, not letting the pressure get to him. Eventually he figured out the trick, tracing the spellwork and realizing that three of the authentication spells were decoys and that only two of them needed to be triggered to open the gate.

Wizard Senses 4 achieved!

The slave-elites were starting to regard them with suspicion, their own skills starting to latch onto the pair that had been standing in front of the gate for thirty seconds. But then the gate swung open and the guards relaxed, letting Nathan and Faline pass into the wooded estate beyond without a word.

There were another pair of guards on this side, but they didn’t react as the two assassins strode down the gravel path with their ladder held casually on their shoulders.

After they were out of sight Faline jerked her head towards the side and they ducked into the shade provided by the canopy of an ancient tree. There was a nook here with a bench and a small pond vivid with aquatic flowers. It was a secluded, beautiful spot. They dumped the ladder against the bench and quickly changed clothes, Nathan handing over his roughspun fabrics for another mage robe.

“Do you have a skill for having the right disguise?” He asked, peering at her dimensional bag suspiciously. “I can tell that’s a pretty big pouch, but it’s not large enough for how many different disguises you’ve pulled out over time. Unless you plan ahead more than I think you do.”

Faline smiled mysteriously, lips plumping out and becoming more sensual as her form became feminine and curvaceous once more. “Shape your eyes to the task ahead.” Her new disguise was more busty than her normal figure, with dark ringlets framing a heart-shaped face that looked pulled from a glamour magazine.

He shook his head in mild exasperation as they left the nook, sticking to the shadows and approaching the sprawling manor. It was a huge structure, covered with magical decorations and windows lit from within. Sounds of merriment spilled out from various openings.

Nathan studied the building for a moment, then pointed at a second-floor balcony that looked fairly secluded. A particularly large tree overhung the balcony, and it looked like they could get there while staying out of major sight-lines.

Faline nodded, and she leapt into his arms with a practiced hop and a quiet chuckle.

This new body was heavier than her normal form, and he took a second to steady her before stepping into the air. Nathan approached carefully, sticking to the building and staying away from sight-lines and windows. There were multiple layers of wards and traps on the structure, and trying to breach one of the windows would result in several nasty spells to the face.

He popped over the edge of the balcony and dropped Faline to her feet. Then Nathan’s attention caught on a decorative snake twining around the railing. It hadn’t been part of the ward spells, so he’d ignored it. Now Nathan caught the faintest twitch of movement.

Alertness 5 achieved!

He spiked his antimagic into the statue as the golem core in its chest roared from an ember to a blazing fire. The construct coiled to strike, but the real danger was the [Message] spells fired off in various directions. Nathan caught them all in his aura and shredded the communication magic into scraps of undirected mana.

Faline leapt back, clearing distance as two daggers flashed into her hands.

Nathan grabbed hold of the stone serpent and held it in place as he tore the mana out of it. It writhed and tried to strike with fangs that wept poison, but his concentrated aura stole the motive power from its magical muscles even as the core was drained dry. Drops of poison sizzled on his wrists, eating small holes through the robes but failing to damage to his [Perfected Body].

The whole event was over in an instant, and Nathan set the drained golem onto the floor gently. He let out a tense breath. “It’s all good. It didn’t get an alarm out.”

The assassin sighed with relief, her blades flashing back into the sleeves of his black robes as she grabbed the snake-golem and began feeding it into her dimensional pouch. “Good. Now the door?”

Nathan nodded, wiping his forehead with the robe that marked him as a Nail. Then he set to work disabling the door alarms.

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 level299

Deepened Stamina: 8627/9270

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 125

Regenerative Focus: 1262/1350

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 4

Alertness 5

Wizard’s Intuition 3

Effortless Dodge 1

Mental Fortress 7

Tutoring 2

High-tier Tumbling 10

High-tier Noticeability 4

Low-tier Disguise 9

Mid-tier Battle Cry 7

Mid-tier Aura Manipulation 5