Ends of Magic

Nathan just stared for a second, checking to ensure that he wasn’t looking at an illusion. But no, the room was as he saw it. A few dozen kids played and yelled beyond the open door. Some of the older ones were casting low-power spells for practice or fun, and he could feel the small magics from here. They were real. The room was real. There didn't seem to be any hidden treasure chests that were their real target.

Several of the kids had noticed the door opening, and turned towards it expectantly. They were surprised to see Faline, even though she was still disguised as the young man who’d attacked them downstairs. A few shied away.

One of the oldest, probably around thirteen, stepped forward and spoke deferentially. ‘Honored brother Rodril, what occurs? When will Gramma Rosita return?”

Faline ignored him, turning towards Nathan. “This is our target. Archmage Gerger is focused on his legacy.” She gestured towards the room, and drew her hand into a fist. “If it is destroyed, he will not listen to reason. He will strike Badud himself if the proper evidence is planted. I have prepared a note that will point towards the Nails, acting to gain Badud's favor.”

It wasn’t that Nathan didn’t understand what Faline was getting at. From a completely objective viewpoint, it made sense. Badud’s move to reconcile the mages had ripped the heart out of their strategy here. They needed to do something drastic to inflame tensions enough that the Questor’s authority didn’t matter.

But this is beyond the pale. I’m shocked at how badly she’s misjudged me. I think she’s spent the last few days trying to influence me towards something like this.But now her hand is forced and she’s pushing ahead regardless.

He blinked at the assassin, taking another second to follow the chain of thought.

She hid what we were going for, until we’d already broken in and the kids saw my face. She’s pressuring me to go along with this in the heat of the moment.

Indignant anger flared in Nathan’s chest, and he took a moment to commit it to memory, storing an everburning flame inside his [Mental Fortress]. He would not kill these kids, or let them be killed. No matter what arguments Faline mustered, this was not something Nathan would budge on. If some skill did change his mind he would remember this moment, this adamant promise.

He turned towards his companion slowly, letting some trace of his bewilderment and anger seep onto his face. “Fal- No. They’re children.”

She countered immediately, clearly expecting his argument. “They are the children of an archmage of Giantsrest. They will attend the Ascendant Academy and become mages of Giantsrest. The same as the dozens you have already killed.”

The older kids seemed to have caught on that something bad was unfolding. They’d backed away from the door, and were shepherding the other children away while trying to stay quiet. One had run to pull on a door at the far end of the room, but it didn’t open. He started knocking on it insistantly.

Nathan faced Faline down, his gaze growing thunderous as he glared at the ancient assassin in the body of a hotheaded young man. “We can’t kill them for what they might become. They’re part of a shitty system, but I won’t kill them before they choose to be part of it.”

“They will become enslavement mages and war mages. They will try to enslave the people of Halsmet and Gemore, razing the cities with their magics.” Faline snorted, disgust curling her lip. “By killing them, you kill that threat now instead of waiting for it to develop.”

He knew she was right. They were children of an archmage and the oldest were already wearing gray robes that mirrored Nathan’s own. They would go to the academy, and they would become good little mages of Giantsrest. They probably already treated the slaves here like objects, tools to be used for their own satisfaction.

Just like Harthi, who was raised in Giantsrest without any other option. But Khachi convinced me to spare her, and she’s adapted to Gemore just fine. If I do this, Kia would hunt me down, and I’m not sure she’d be wrong to do so.

Nathan glared back at Faline. “The mages I killed made a choice. They marched to enslave, to conquer.” He remembered a colorful quilt on a bed and winced at the memory of times when that hadn’t been true. “Attacking adult mages who chose their Path is one thing, but they,” he waved towards the room, “have not made that choice. If Giantsrest falls, they will not be locked into that path.”

Mental Fortress 8 achieved!

A low growl sounded in the assassin’s throat, and she took a small step towards the room, a wicked dagger appearing in one hand. “They have heard and seen enough to smother our flame. This is the only Path that can topple Giantsrest.”

A little girl inside the room shrieked at the sight of the knife, but one of the older boys clamped a hand over her mouth. A few of them seemed to be eying the space around Nathan and Faline, as if considering making a dash.

Nathan stepped forward, getting closer to Faline and blocking the door while he considered his next words. He wanted to be in range of her if he needed to be, and he didn’t want any of the kids to come within stabbing range if they tried to escape.

Faline used his hesitation to keep talking. “The fall of Giantsrest will kill thousands, tens of thousands. Many of them will be children. But it is still a flame worth following. This.” She pointed her knife at the cluster of watching kids. “Is no different. It is the only path that sees Giantsrest fall.”

She watched his face, seeing the conflict there. “Giantsrest enslaves and conquers. You swore to end them. This is a dark deed, but it is required to achieve your goal.”

Nathan muttered words under his breath, though they were still loud enough for Faline to hear. “I will spill lakes of blood to avoid spilling oceans.”

A lopsided smile appeared on the assassin’s face, baring the edges of sharpened teeth. “Yes. This is a sacrifice, but it is a worthy sacrifice. We do this that the people of Halsmet might live free of masters.”

Nathan closed his eyes and sighed deeply. He’d caught the mental skill this time. It was subtle thing, carrying him along in the wake of her argument. It encouraged him to rethink his viewpoint and follow her narrative, to the point of believing it.

It probably started as a bard skill, to help tell stories. But now it lets her convince people if she’s got even a shred of actual argument.

There was another skill too, one that prevented Nathan from noticing he was being influenced. It had probably prevented him from noticing any times thus far she’d used the skill to influence his actions. But this time he'd caught it.

When Nathan opened his eyes again the assassin hadn’t moved an inch. His voice was hard and grating. “This isn’t an argument. We can empty his vault, trash his enchantments, but we will not kill the archmage’s kids.”

Mental Fortress 9 achieved!

Faline hissed and turned away from him, taking one step into the room. “You can stand there as damp ashes, or leave and meet me back at the safehouse. This deed must be done.”

Nathan caught her arm. “Nope. You’re not doing this.”

She whirled on him, eyes flashing in fury. The face she was wearing morphed, mouth spreading unnaturally wide to reveal a serrated snarl out of a horror movie as she wrenched to get her arm free. Her body writhed underneath his grasp, and all of a sudden she gave off the impression of a slavering beast eager to rend flesh.

The surprising flash of teeth so close to Nathan’s face almost made him let go, and Faline knew exactly how to pull to get out of a wrist grab. But Nathan’s hand wrapped entirely around her wrist, and his strength was far greater. Her intimidation served only to wake his Rage, and Nathan used his grip to toss Faline out of the room with the kids, into the cafeteria next to the garden.

She collided with one of the tables and fell to the ground as the furniture overturned with a clatter.

Nathan stepped outside and took a moment to slam the door to the nursery closed, ensuring the locking mechanism re-engaged. Then he turned to his erstwhile ally and strode towards her in a haze of fury.

Faline staggered to her feet, probing at her side with a his of indrawn breath. She’d dropped her knife but with a flick of the wrist it was replaced by another.

Nathan stopped a half-dozen paces away, resisting the urge to punch Faline. With the amount of Rage flowing through him it would be a deadly strike. Instead he reached out with his aura and broke the enchantment on the ring she’d taken from Rodril dho Kav. Then he met her glare with one of his own. “Get out of here. If you want to figure out another way to do this, I’ll meet you back at the safehouse tonight and we’ll set some rules.”

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The leader of the Gemore Assassins had dropped her horrific appearance, and she spat to the side before addressing him venomously. “You’re an idiot beyond prophecy’s hold. If you’re going to fart ice instead of fight Giantsrest, I’ll leave you to flare and die. If you make it back to Halsmet and beg, we may revisit this scheme. But I expect you to die fighting hundreds of elites in the next day or two. I will not be caught in the sweep that follows.”

She backed away from him, angling to break the line of sight as quickly as possible. Her last words were bitter. “Your students will carry on your legacy.”

Nathan let her go, shaking his head and gritting his teeth. He was tempted to chase after her and try to get in the last word, to threaten her to stay away from the Halsmet Antimages. But he’d only make this entire situation worse. If he ever wanted to work with Faline again or even stand in the same room as her, he needed to back off.

Sometimes I hate [Battlefield Meditation]. I want the excuse of not being in control. She tried to manipulate me into murdering children, I feel like crushing her skull in a fit of Rage would be justified.

His blood still felt like it was boiling as Nathan turned away and looked around the large room for a fast exit. They’d never intended this to be a long infiltration, and he didn’t have the cover of Faline’s stealth and disguise skills on the way out. A skylight overhead caught his attention.

Nathan wanted out of this place, and to be far away from what had nearly happened. He didn’t want to cross paths with Faline again until he’d had some time to think, some time to process the events of the last few minutes. So he stepped straight up into the air and aimed at the sunlight streaming down into the garden.

The sun didn’t move across the sky on Davrar, so the skylight was closer to a tall chimney than a normal skylight. It was blocked off by a trio of specially built force enchantments that would be better than glass for almost all purposes - except for preventing an antimage from passing through. Nathan broke through the panes of force quickly, letting them snap closed behind him as the enchantments reformed the barriers.

The roof was rough, like a barren mountaintop. The thick stone itself was woven with enchantments bordering on wizardry, mostly focused on reinforcement. He wouldn’t be surprised if this building could survive the Ascendant Academy falling on it.

There was no sign of a disturbance that he could detect, but he didn’t want to stick around long enough for that to change. But he needed to find somewhere quiet to think.

Nathan took to the air, making for a cluster of five-story buildings close by. They looked like fancy apartments. They were in the direction of the Ascendant Academy, but the roof was complex and had multiple peaks that promised abundant cover. He pushed [Noticeability] as hard as he could, diverting the few eyes looking in his direction as he ran across open air to the rooftop.

He reached his target unseen and easily disabling a couple of basic security spells before settling into a protected nook. He needed a minute to get his bearings, to think through options and figure out what the hell he was going to do now. So far everything he’d achieved in Giantsrest had been following Faline’s lead.

He’d learned a lot from her, but he wasn’t confident that he could continue on his own. Sure, he could probably handle breaking into secured compounds and killing mages. But he wouldn’t be able to collect information or even travel around Giantsrest as easily as she did. Additionally, he lacked the detailed background that let Faline piece together plots and know where to attack to cause the most damage.

I’m also still dressed in the robe of a low-tier student, which sticks out like a sore thumb outside of the Academy.

He could try to head back to the safehouse and see if she showed up. Then they could hopefully have a rational discussion about what had happened, and continue their campaign against Giantsrest without quite as much child-murdering.

That doesn’t seem likely for a few reasons. She basically said she was abandoning me and going back to Halsmet. The gates are still closed, but that probably won’t be true for long. Even if we did talk, do I really think I can convince her to do things my way? Or is it just another chance for her to influence me?

The bulk of the academy towered over him, occupying a quarter of the horizon from this distance. He gazed at it, trying to predict what was going to happen next. Badud was holding some kind of meeting with all of the influential mages of Giantsrest. They’d almost certainly take actions to curtail any further attacks, and would be a lot harder to manipulate into conflict.

He had a window to move around right now, before the mages finished their meeting and implemented whatever new security they came up with. It might be as simple as city-wide scanning magics that he could evade with his antimagic, or it could be patrols of elites with perception skills, or something else he couldn’t predict. If he went back to the safehouse to wait for Faline, he’d be giving up this window of freedom.

Even if she does go back there, and we can work out our differences, do I think I can trust her again? Will she trust me again? Should I be worried about waking up with knives in my eyes?

But what else could he do? Nathan wasn’t about to run around murdering random mages in their beds. The longer he stayed out on the streets gathering information, the more likely it was that he’d get made and a [Message] would bring hundreds of slave-soldiers down on him. He could outrun most pursuit, but flying mages could follow him until he ran out of Stamina and then elites would pile on to take him out. Giantsrest wouldn’t care if he killed fifty or a hundred slaves before going down. They’d send them anyway and count the expense cheap.

Nathan’s gaze went back to the Ascendant Academy, with its grand architecture and attendant magical streamers that dominated the city. He’d been disappointed when Faline had said they couldn’t attack the academy itself, and should instead focus on tearing down the city around it. The Academy was the heart of Giantsrest, the source of their magic. It was where the Questor and the archmages were. If Nathan wanted to truly topple Giantsrest, that’s where he needed to strike.

I wanted to use my antimagic to sneak into the Academy, after we sowed chaos outside of it. Maybe it’s time to go for it. Faline wouldn’t have followed me inside, and she already told me what she knows. If I sneak in now then I’ll evade whatever new security they put in place on the city. But how do I get in?

He sucked in a breath, standing up and looking for an entry point. He saw windows all over the structure, with some of them being enormous stained-glass works of art. But he didn’t want to leave a hole if he could avoid it, so he looked for balconies. There weren’t any near ground level. He looked farther up, well-aware that he didn’t have Stamina to [Airwalk] to the peak of the Academy.

I might be able to absorb the mana spilling off the building, but I’m not sure it’s enough to get me much higher, and it might be pretty damned obvious if my aura cuts a swath through the haze. But there would be benefits to being higher up. Closer to the peak of the tower, where the archmages live.

It took him a minute to locate a balcony against the enormous building, but once he saw one they started popping out to him. The platforms only started showing up several hundred feet above the ground, and then stopped about halfway up the structure. A thrill of excitement went down Nathan’s spine as he realized he could probably just run to some of the nearer balconies. He was already dressed in the appropriate robe.

He took a deep breath to center himself. Was this a good idea? Should he instead use this opportunity to get the hell out of the city? Go back to Halsmet, rejoin the Heirs and protect the city he’d so recently liberated? It would be safer. He wasn’t even sure he’d be able to evade whatever wizardry protected the academy.

This is an opportunity. Badud’s still recovering. They’ll focus on trying to catch us in the city, so I’ll have some time with their focus diverted. Even if they believe the kids, they'll think we left, not that I went into the Academy. If I can work my way up the tower I can kill Badud and the archmages in their beds, maybe even break whatever powers the Academy. That would rip the heart out of Giantsrest.

He nodded to himself, feeling fired up. He was doing this. There was no value in waiting, there was no preparation he could make in the time available. For all he knew, the mages were about to be done with their meeting and they’d unleash the entire population of the city to look for intruders. He needed to go now.

Nathan took to the sky, climbing into the sky in a long and loping stride that was the most Stamina-efficient way to cover ground. He was still deflecting attention away with his stealth skills, approaching the bulk of the giant building.

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: 8007/9570

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: 992/1520

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 9

Tutoring 2

High-tier Tumbling 10

High-tier Noticeability 4

Mid-tier Disguise 3

Mid-tier Battle Cry 7

Mid-tier Aura Manipulation 6