Ends of Magic

The entire room was silent for a moment before Gale started cackling. “You don’t tally your deeds much, do you boy? Faline, you need to teach this one to speak with magic. He freed a city and tells it like he ate a dry pudding.”

A chuckle went around the room before Sudraiel brought the meeting back to order, though the elderly Guildmistress also wore an amused smile.

“It would fill me with sadness to keep this meeting going too long, so let us proceed. Thank you Nathan. Myrla, the priorities for Halsmet are food, organization and security. We’ll work with Olad on defending Halsmet, but how is the rest going?”

The middle-aged matron spoke. “Well. The celebrations gathered power, and there was a danger of anarchy. Giant be praised that it only takes a reminder of our old masters - and their desire to retake this city - for everybody to weave the same color.”

She tapped the table with four fingers outstretched. “Four problems to kill. First, many of my people wish to leave this place, to go to Gemore. Hear me, but it seems safer. Can that happen? I find it hard to deny them.”

Sudraiel’s brows drew down and she grimaced. “No. Pardon my ax, but Gemore does not have the space - and we cannot spare the force to escort them. If some of them wish to become Adventurers then it may be possible. But that Path is not safe - or short. They could settle in the outlying villages, but we do not have the forces to safeguard their travels - not now. Not if we wish to defend Halsmet. They must remain petrified in place until the Giantsrest attack is finished - after that, we will weigh this question again.”

“They should fight for themselves. Earn their freedom and protection as our ancestors did.” Kozar said.

“Silence, Kozar. I will not hear a blasphemous whisper of conscription.” The guildmistress’ voice cracked out, alongside her venomous glare. “Our ancestors were surrounded by all of the riches of Old Gemore, and many of them died to become the first Adventurers. Smoke and blood - I will not send a hundred of those who have just tasted freedom to death for one Adventurer!”

She took a calming breath, then turned back to Myrla. “Gemore will stand with Halsmet, but none will flee. What is the second topic?”

The old scribe wore a bemused expression as she looked between Kozar and Sudraiel, but she wiped the confusion away to reply. “To pursue the same Insight - many of those who were slave-soldiers wish to be soldiers no longer. Some wish to return to their old trades, while others want to do something new. Indeed, many of my people wish to embark upon new tasks, separate from those that they practiced under Giantsrest.”

She paused for a second, looking around as if for advice. “What do I do? I understand that many do not wish for the same work as when they were enslaved, but they have classes in those labors.”

Nobody spoke for a second, thinking about how to respond to the question.

Kia broke the silence. “Let them. A Path chosen will be deeper and go farther than one forced by any other. Guarantee some level of basics, then allow bargaining and forbid violence. People will organize themselves to make what is needed most.”

Ah, the most basic insight of capitalism.

Myrla nodded thoughtfully. “As you say, Holy Warrior. Many of my people wish to fight Giantsrest, to safeguard themselves. But they have no classes or training. Can they be taught?”

There were nods around the room, and several Adventurers looked excited, but Sudraiel held up a hand. “Yes - but carefully. Some Adventurers may take apprentices - but only some. Hear me, but I will not have my Adventurers distracted and slowed by teaching as the Giant wakes. We will make plans to teach some classes. If any of the teams present wish to take apprentices, speak with me later.”

Faline gave him an inquisitive look, as if to ask if Nathan was going to teach anybody.

I don’t think I can - I don’t understand the source of my antimagic.

He shook his head, but Myrla was continuing onwards.

“The last question is of ownership - many slaves looted their masters and live in the place where they were enslaved. But there have been squabbles about what belongs to who, and this is nowhere more clear than in houses. Many of those who live in the slums and toiled in the workshops are upset by those who have claimed the households.”

Oof. That’s a tricky question.

The guildmistress grimaced again. “That answer is a grand Insight - and how you answer it will define Halsmet. I cannot give you prophecy - but we will discuss this with the Gemore council. They are more suited to killing this kind of problem, but this is your nemesis to slay. Find a compromise that will suit Halsmet, and what you want to become. Level from this challenge.”

The ex-slave scribe, now the leader of a city, blinked as if she’d just now realized the responsibility that lay on her shoulders.

Not just responsible for organizing, but also setting policy. I bet that’s new.

Sudraiel gave Myrla a sympathetic look, then glanced around the room. “To kill the muckgrabber - every Adventurer involved in the taking of Halsmet is off-duty for two days. Relax and reflect on your victory. Understand your Developments, for we will need you again.” She met Nathan’s eyes on the last line.

“Those others will set up a watch rotation. The Guardians of Gemore, the Legacy of Gemore or the Seven Fools will be on duty at all times, stationed in Exea’s mansion or close by. We will turn off the [Message] block shortly. If the Questor comes - bring them to me. I will handle their tasking. Tomorrow afternoon we will develop a patrol schedule to block Giantsrest scouts and harassment teams, but for now the Gleaming Fist will take the east gate, while other message-capable teams….”

She continued speaking, but Khachi got Nathan’s attention with a hand signal and jerked his head out of the room before walking out the door. The rest of the Heirs followed him, and they started walking back towards the room where they’d slept the night before.

“Hear me, but I’m happy to rest. Surely we’ve stared the ghoul in the eye enough.“ Aarl stretched his arms and yawned hugely, his enchanted black armor accommodating the movements with unnatural mobility. “I hope you all want to go on patrol afterwards - I want to explore this new landscape.”

His sister rolled her neck around, releasing tension from her entire body with the motion. “Praise the ancestors that we’re not called on yet, but I could go patrolling - later. Where to? Food, then back to sleep before our parents find us?”

Khachi frowned. “We have all Developed our builds greatly in the last few days. I would have us accustom ourselves to these changes, and plan for the future. Further levels and Development without plan or thought will derail us from our Paths.”

Groaning, Stella replied. “Don’t smother our fire. Today’s a day to rest. To raise the past - remember what’s happened to us. We’ve barely had any time since we killed that Fortress Foundry, much less Halsmet. Let’s rest before we plan our next effort.”

“I think I could do with some time staring at a wall actually.” Nathan said. He wasn’t really physically tired - but he was mentally and emotionally exhausted. He hadn’t realized it, but telling the story during the meeting had almost been the last straw in his ability to deal with people. He was even finding it difficult to keep up with the Heirs’ conversation.

Sarah bumped his arm gently. “Freedom and brightness - you’ve been the busiest of us all. Food first - I’m hungry enough for a Castlebear’s meal.”

Sighing, Khachi nodded his acquiescence and asked the elite bodyguards to point them towards food.

—

Forty-five minutes later and much better fed, Nathan and the Heirs trooped back to their room.

They found their parents waiting for them. Stella sighed and then relented as Kullal rushed forward to embrace her. Dalo smiled at the reunion, then walked forward to join the hug.

Stanel was leaning against the wall, expression placid as his eyes roamed over Aarl and Sarah. His gaze caught on Aarl’s armor and he huffed out an amused breath. “Found a dragon’s hoard, did you?”

Kia stepped forward to clasp forearms with Khachi, her mostly-golden hair rebraided into a crown-like shape atop her head. “They have walked their Paths farther than any would expect.” Her brightly glowing eyes panned over the Heirs. “We would speak with you, but it does not have to be now. We can do it as a team or separately, as you desire.”

Kullal made a wounded sound and clutched Stella tighter, refusing to let go of her daughter. Stella wasn’t struggling against the embrace.

Eyes turned to Nathan, and he waved them off. “Go, talk to your parents. I wanted to stare at a wall, and I meant it. Kia, I want to talk to you later - but I’d prefer it be later. I might go find Faline in a bit anyway.”

The plate-armored woman frowned slightly. “Trust your own flame, Nathan Lark.”

“We’re on alert until the evening, but we’ll have a party tonight.” Dalo said. “As the one after your blooding Patrol.”

Nathan nodded back. “Looking forward to it.”

The rest of the Heirs left with their parents. Kullal seemed attached to Stella, while Stanel gave both of his children claps on the shoulder and quiet words of congratulations. Kia and Khachi merely shared respectful nods before walking away side by side.

Meanwhile, Nathan released a deep sigh and stepped towards the door. The two freed elites had remained with him, and they took up positions on either side of the portal. He looked at them. “What are your names?”

They blinked at him for a moment, seemingly shocked he’d asked.

“Datur,” said the one carrying swords on each hip and a heavier blade across his back.

The second elite was shorter and wider, but his voice was surprisingly high-pitched. “I’m Honsk.” He carried a mace and a shield, and had a quiver on his back that contained an unstrung bow as well as a few dozen arrows.

Honsk continued. “What occurs? We’re pleased beyond prophecy’s hold to help the mage-breaker.”

Nathan shook his head. “No, I’m going to just sit down and relax for a bit, maybe nap. It’s not a problem if anybody comes looking for me. Also - thanks for being here. It makes me feel better. Let me know if you’re needed somewhere else - I’ve been protecting myself so far and I can do it again.”

They both nodded, not daring to contradict him. He sighed.

I might be stuck with bodyguards for a bit. I hope they don’t try to prevent me from doing stuff later. Not sure Faline will want to talk about plans later if there are extra ears - or if Kia will want to discuss [Airwalking].

He walked into the room and shut the door, taking off his shoes before flopping on the bed.

Now would be a great time to watch dumb youtube videos. Or read an escapist story. I just want to turn off my brain for a bit - or at least change what I’m thinking about. I’ve spent so much energy planning my actions, my strategy. How to win, and keep people alive while doing it. I just need some time to do something else. Anything else.

Nathan sighed and rolled over, distinctly aware of the lack of entertainment material.

Unless I want to try to find and raid Exea’s library.

But his brain just wouldn’t stop running. He was turning over the details of each fight yesterday, thinking of how he could have planned differently to prevent his allies from dying. Artha’s death in particular weighed heavily on Nathan.

It could have been prevented. Exea didn’t really have that much in the courtyard beyond - I could have gone over the walls. Or I could have just backed up after breaking the magic on the door and run alongside Artha so I could have protected him from the [Disintegrate]. It was a stupid positioning mistake and now my friend is dead. I wish I could go back and change it.

Nathan realized he was flopped on the edge of the bed and mentally spiraling. He sat up, shaking his arms out. Feeling bad for himself wouldn’t change anything - and if there was a way to time-travel, then he’d prefer to use it to prevent the founding of Giantsrest.

But then how could I be here? Paradox! That’s like reason one out of three thousand why time travel doesn’t exist. But I’m presumably in a different reality or something, so who knows?

He sighed once more, leaning back against the wall and closing his eyes. With an effort of will, Nathan started to meditate without relying on [Battle Meditation].

It’s a useful tool, especially to allow abstract thought in the middle of battle. But I think it cheapens the effort it takes to truly still your thoughts.

Nathan sat in place for a while, not thinking about anything. A few thoughts intruded, but he didn’t become invested in them, letting each one pass without diving into it. It didn’t take a lot of effort, but it did require him to be present and paying attention to his thoughts.

The effort was rewarded. He hadn’t even noticed the sick ball of anxiety and guilt in his chest until it loosened. Nathan took a deep breath and felt free of his worries for the first time in days.

He stayed like that for a while longer, simply luxuriating in how good it felt to set down his anxiety and fears for a little while. Eventually, Nathan opened his eyes and glanced around the room with new eyes.

Now that I’ve got a clearer head, is there anything to address?

There was one particular elephant in the room that Nathan hadn’t quite thought through yet - the prophecy. He used his memory skill to call up Kia’s exact phrasing, the reverberating words clear in his mind’s eye.

“Five hundred years of accumulated strength - unleashed in a battle of Giants and water to lay low a Questor. Ruin will be brought to an ancient city by a mage beyond Endings - and the outcome will determine when the Ending of History begins.”

Right. So Giantsrest and Gemore have been building up their strength for about five hundred years. That seems pretty clear cut. Then a Questor’s going to die in the upcoming battle - could be either one. All of that seems pretty clear-cut, though the mention of water kind of throws me for a loop. I’m sure it’ll make sense in retrospect.

But then there’s the line about a ‘mage beyond endings’ who ‘ruins an ancient city.’ That could probably be either Giantsrest or Gemore, though Gemore is already ruined. The mage - maybe it’s Badud? It could be somebody I haven’t met yet - Brox isn’t a mage as far as I’m aware, but we don’t know for certain that he’s coming to help.

The last line is both terrifying and promising. It implies that the Ending of History is soon - and that’s scary as hell. But it also implies that we can affect the Endings. What we do here matters on the scale of the Endings! They’re not just unthinking calamities on a preset timer. Either the Ending reacts to the state of things, or else me and the Heirs surviving this fight changes how - or if - the Ending starts.

Nathan blew out a breath, considering what to take away from the prophecy. It seemed like the Gemore tradition was to not overinterpret prophecy, judging them tricky things that would bite you if you read too much into them and make decisions based on that knowledge.

Given how prophecy plays out in Earth media, I don’t think they’re wrong.

That being said - was there any information he could use?

Weirdly enough, I think the biggest thing is to watch out for water in the upcoming battle. It’s going to be important somehow. Keep in mind any angle on the Endings and watch out for any other mages that could be described as ‘beyond Endings’ - maybe something from the Kalis conclave. They’re a bunch of mages whose work has survived a bunch of Endings. Maybe there’s one stasised in that tower I poked on my way to Halsmet.

He gave a small shrug. It was worth remembering, but he wouldn’t read too much into the vague words. What else did he want to think about?

Remembering something all of a sudden, Nathan pulled up a pending utility skill.

Pending utility skill: [Mid-tier Battle Cry]

You have intimidated foes with a loud yell mid-fight. Your cries will be more intimidating and more audible across the din of battle.

It’s for my last free slot. Me having it pending prevented me from being offered any more skills. Whoops, I probably should have made this decision earlier - never know if I missed out on a good skill.

Nathan considered the skill - the applications were good. It was the sort of skill that could have saved lives in several previous fights. If the mages had been more singleminded about attacking him with magic, then Adventurers like Delric Enesto would have lived. Artha might have lived.

It's also battlefield communication. If I had this skill when fighting the ashblood cobras, I could have warned them about the snake that killed Nornan.

Nathan heaved a sigh, rubbing at his eyes. He'd seen a lot of friends die recently - and the thought that this skill could have saved them made him want to take it immediately.

Faline was planning on teaching me [Lockpicking] though. Do I need it?

He gave a small shake of the head. [Lockpicking] was very niche - and also transitory. Once he got stronger and got better stealth he would be able to either break any lock or sneak though any security he found. Furthermore, a lot of the locks he cared about were magical, and those would never be a problem.

Being able to control attention on a battlefield will always be useful to me - it combos with [Noticeability] to draw attention when I want to. On top of the obvious benefit for [Leadership], I can probably Develop the skill to explicitly improve that aspect. It's a crowd control, communication and leadership skill all rolled into one.

Congratulations, you have accepted the [Mid-tier Battle Cry] utility skill.

Nathan sighed, getting up off the bed. He felt better, and he’d had a chance to think things through and resolve some unaddressed issues. There were still outstanding questions - but he needed to talk with Faline and the Heirs about the future anyway.

After all, he wanted to go to Giantsrest itself. To see if he couldn’t break apart the whole rotten edifice from within. He needed to talk to his friends - his teammates - before he finalized that plan.

Maybe they’ll want to come with me - or at least coordinate. But I have the feeling that the only person I’ll enter Giantsrest with will be Faline.

Regardless, Nathan’s immediate future was going to be helping protect the recently liberated city of Halsmet.

Loud voices outside the door caught Nathan’s attention, and he looked up in confusion. It didn’t sound like fighting, just a loud voice speaking indistinctly, then somebody else answering in the affirmative.

The door slammed open and a man in a shining breastplate stepped into the room. His clothes were tailored tightly in a foreign cut, perfectly showing off leonine muscles as hands rested casually on the pommels of twin enchanted swords. Shoulder-length blonde hair blew in a nonexistent breeze as his shining purple gaze landed on Nathan.

“Ah! The Hero of Halsmet! The Mage-Breaker himself!” The intruder’s smile flashed, literally illuminating the room with dazzling charm.

Status of Nathan Lark:

Permanent Talent 1: Aura of Antimagic 6

Permanent Talent 2: Perfected Body 7

Talent 3: High-tier Slow Fall 10

Class: Implacable Antimage level 210

Deepened Stamina: 6564/6600

Antimage’s Impassivity

Antimagic Momentum

Raging Thrill

Implacable Inertia

Unarmored Resilience

Improved Antimagic

Strenuous Agility

Hand-to-hand Expertise

Class: Assassin of Gemore level76

Regenerative Focus: 860/860

Catastrophic Blows

Stealthy Movement

Infiltration

Forgettable

Unsuspecting Strike

Utility skills:

Battle Meditation 8

Leadership 4

High-tier Sprinting 7

Magical Perception 6

High-tier Notice 9

Magical Intuition 3

High-tier Dodging Footwork 9

High-tier Enhanced Memory 10

Mid-tier Lecturing 10

High-tier Tumbling 7

Mid-tier Noticeability 6

Low-tier Quiet Movement 4

Low-tier Disguise 4

Mid-tier Battle Cry 1