Ends of Magic

Sarah spoke gingerly, aware she was addressing one of the elites of the Gemore Adventurer’s guild. And one of the most infamous. “What is the plan, Faline?”

The beautiful woman shrugged, and smiled wide to reveal teeth that looked unnaturally sharp. “We must scout. Exea will be loath to keep the city locked down for too long, and the detection enchantments take mana to run. They cannot use them forever, for they drain the marks of every mage in Giantsrest. They also expose embarrassing secrets.” She snorted slightly. “Half of the mages of Halsmet are probably trying to hide undeclared children or unrecorded slaves right now.”

Then Faline’s expression firmed and she pinned the Heirs with a look, sweeping her gaze around to encompass all of them. “Those enchantments will track any inside the city who is not marked as a graduate of the Ascendent Academy. It can filter out those who have an authorized slave collar or correct mental magic. If you step outside, you will lead them here, and you will have to fight the mobilized might of Halsmet. If that happens, I will not save you, for that would lead to my death or capture.”

The assassin walked over to the corner, where Taeol’s body lay.

I did have Khachi grab the corpse as we ran. I wanted his stuff, and to be really really sure he didn’t get resurrected or reanimated or something. It would be kind of hilarious if something rezzed him right here and I got to kill him again.

Faline leaned down, rooting through the rings on Taeol’s fingers. After a moment, she made a noise of satisfaction and pulled one free, showing around the chunky piece of jewelry. “The mark of an archmage. It allows the wearer to bypass a dozen forms of security used by Giantsrest - including the detection enchantments. Such enchantments can only be recharged by the bearer’s mana, but this one should last quite a bit longer than a standard mage’s mark.”

Good to know there was some useful loot on him.

She rolled the ring between her fingers, before sliding it over her thumb. “I assume Nathan is immune to the mental mana of such a spell?” She cocked an eyebrow. “Do I have true aim?”

“Yup.” Nathan’s antimagic had let him ignore disintegration spells and bypass magical traps - and it had only grown more powerful recently. Now it said that he was “an embodiment of antimagic.” He should be able to avoid a city-wide detection spell.

Faline proceeded to quickly strip Taeol of jewelry and clothing, making a neat pile of loot. “Then we shall depart for a time, to scout and develop a plan. We will return by morning. Rest, recover. Steel yourself for what may come. If you are discovered, the outer wall is that way. There is an Old Gemore dungeon some distance south-south-east. If you can reach it and survive hiding within, you may be able to lose your pursuers.”

That sounds like a pretty terrible escape plan. The sort of thing you do if you’re desperate.

She stuffed Taeol’s corpse into a dimensional bag, the action looking comical as Taeol’s bulk vanished into a small container. “I’ll dispose of this later.” She turned toward the door and gestured for Nathan to follow.

He shared a look with the Heirs, then shrugged. “See you. Stay safe.”

Khachi touched his brow with four fingers, then swept his hand at Nathan. “And Algoa’s luck ride with you.”

Faline made sure the ring was secure on her thumb. Then she pulled another outfit out of her dimensional bag and swept it over her shoulders. When the fabric settled, the lithe woman was replaced by a taller man with a pockmarked face who bore the distinctive whip of a Giantsrest slavemaster.

“Let’s go.” The voice that came out of her mouth was rough, and Nathan threw on the coarse gray outfit Faline tossed him, then followed her through the door.

They emerged into the same grim slums as they’d entered. There were more slaves present than before, the lockdown having chased them back to their homes. They were mostly occupied with mundane tasks, doing laundry and cooking with a constant but desultory pace that indicated a directive to survive, not the desire to live.

Faline strode quickly away from the safehouse, speaking quickly. “We check the gates. Keep yourself hidden. If I snap my fingers twice, like this, then attack. If we might fight, kill quickly and move quickly. We will need to create smoke and blood. They know we’re in the city, but we must avoid being marked and tracked.”

A man - a slave - stepped out of a doorway and tossed a bucket of filth into the street at their feet. Nathan dodged around it and looked quickly at Faline, who followed his gaze to the witness.

He definitely overheard her.

She shook her head quickly. “My skills will hide our conversation from casual eavesdropping, especially from befuddled slaves.”

Nathan licked dry lips. “You told the Heirs we would be focusing on escape. That’s not what you suggested last night.”

Faline turned back towards him, and her disguised eyes met his, dark and foreboding. “We will seek to aid their escape. But if I am to teach you the Insight of the second class, you will stay here, with me. While we scout, and wait out the lockdown, we will hunt.” She waved her hand vaguely. “To distract attention from the Heirs. If the Questor intervenes, we want him focused on chasing us inside the city while they flee outside of it.”

They walked a few more steps in silence before she spoke again, the rough voice underscoring the seriousness of the tone. “Regardless of your intentions, do not speak of the Insight of the second class to the Heirs. It is an Insight few can accomplish, and I have known better Adventurers than they to lose their Paths trying to grasp it.”

“But you think I can learn it?”

The cruel smile was audible in her voice. “I do. They have suffered, but their own Paths are as yet unbent by Giantsrest’s cruelty. But you are open to the Insight of Paths. And its implications.”

People have mentioned Paths before. Artha told me that he was teaching me the Path of Rage, and it seems like another word for your build. Or maybe the philosophy behind your build - that seems more like how Kia used the word.

Nathan remained silent, waiting for Faline to continue.

After a moment, she did. “The first layer of the Insight of Paths is common, and variations of it are known to many. To level quickly, and indeed to level at all past level 500, it is necessary to understand your own Path, and act according to it.”

Faline held out her hand to gesture Nathan to stop. She carefully looked around the corner of a narrow alley that led to the main thoroughfare before quickly pulling back. Then her pocked face grimaced. “Mage-led patrol. They mean to question any they find. We will have to avoid them.”

She looked at Nathan, considering. “You have no stealth skills, do you?”

He shook his head. “I thought about picking one up, but it’s hard to drop a utility skill once you’ve Developed it. There’s one or two I could drop if I need to…”

Faline shook her head firmly. “Do not, if they are useful to your fight. We will gain you your second class tonight, and then you will be able to gain more utility skills.” She pursed her lips and set off in a new direction through the maze-like slums. “[Noticeability], to be sure. [Lockpicking]. Any stealth skills you are capable of.”

Wait, tonight? The day’s half-over already. And more utility skills? That’s exciting. Good to have confirmation on that.

The assassin cocked an eyebrow in his direction, but kept speaking. “[Sleight of Hand] is a skill any assassin could use, but you do not use weapons. Or a dimensional bag.” She glanced around another corner, then walked around it. “Hear me, but this is an excellent issue to have. I would give a grand Insight to learn more utility skills.”

“Tonight? How will I get a second class by tonight?” Nathan’s voice almost cracked.

“You must understand the deeper meaning of the Insight of Paths. Then it is only a matter of a suitable deed. Ah, here.” The disguised Faline stepped through a narrow gap between two ramshackle buildings, squeezing through a gap.

Nathan followed, having difficulty squeezing through the opening.

I can probably use [Perfected Body] to help me out with obstacles like a gap being tight. It’s not fast, it’s not shapeshifting, but it can make meaningful differences to my body over time. Even if it’s best suited to things like increasing muscle density and bone strength. And still limited to things that are physically possible with normal biology. For now.

Shaking aside the distraction, Nathan emerged from the slums to find himself only feet away from the outer wall. The slums were built up almost to the side of the wall, though there was a narrow walkway that ran along the base.

Faline was craning her neck to see atop the towering stone barrier, and Nathan followed her gaze. The walkway at the top was covered with guards - there seemed to be a slave soldier stationed every ten feet. Most were keeping watch out of the city, but every fourth was facing inwards. Nobody else was approaching the wall, but Nathan watched as the nearest slave’s eyes panned right over them as if they weren't there.

“Harpy’s tits. Full stand-to. No places without direct observation.” Faline spun to face Nathan with a smile. “But that means lighter interior defenses, especially in the upper quarter. Next is the gatehouse. Follow, but stay back.”

They skulked along the base of the wall, hiding in its shadow. There were slavemasters and mages patrolling along the top of the wall, looking out for oddities.

Nathan tried to follow Faline’s movements as she smoothly passed by dozens of watchful eyes. She wasn’t flitting from shadow to shadow, but instead keeping a constant pace that tacked along lines of shadow and behind sight blockers.

I know she has some stealth skills that can beat my own [Notice]. I have to be benefiting from them right now somehow. But if I’ll be able to take more utility skills soon, maybe I should watch what she does and try to figure out how it works. A stealth skill sounds useful - [Noticeability]?

They approached the gatehouse and Nathan hung back, stepping around a corner of an alley and waiting while Faline scouted it out. She came back with that same grimly satisfied expression. “Guarded tighter than a giant’s nutsack. Again, fewer guards elsewhere. They don’t want us getting out of this city. It’s a noose.”

She guided him back into the slums that bordered the wall. After they were out of sight of the watchers, Faline resumed lecturing. “Your Path is the source of your class - and is shaped by how you Develop it. At first, Paths are broad. A path can be about Fighting - or bare-knuckles brawling. Then they become more specific, as more specific class skills are Developed. Raging for vengeance. Fighting against ancient dungeons. And the way to level is to accomplish deeds aligned with your Path.” She stopped in a side street, watching Nathan to see if he understood.

“This is the first Insight of Paths. As an Adventurer gains in level, their Path becomes narrower. If they accomplish the correct deed, they will level just as much at a higher level as they did at lower levels - often more, as they are capable of greater things.” She held up two fingers to signify a point. “But, it becomes more difficult to find suitable goals. To reach high level, you must choose your Developments for how they shape your Path, and your actions to follow. If you reach level 500 as a Dragonslayer, but you have slain all of the dragons then your Path is at an end.”

The pockmarked face nodded to Nathan. “If you are dedicated to fighting mages, and you slay a siegeboar, you will not be rewarded with many levels. If you slay an archmage, on the other hand…”

That… makes a lot of sense. It also explains my leveling - I get more every time I break a magical construct or kill a mage. My Path is about loud, bare-knuckled brawling, breaking magical constructs and the mages behind them.

Nathan thought about the implications for a second. “This seems like a critical Insight that everybody could use - why wasn’t it taught to us earlier?”

It would have been a pretty valuable consideration on my last class Development! I wonder if the Heirs knew.

“This Insight is not widely agreed upon - or especially well known.” Faline shrugged, then turned to proceed farther into the city. “This is my version, but many Elite Adventurers have their own interpretation. Some believe that more specialized Paths award more levels, while others believe that it is inconsequential, and choosing Developments for anything but immediate power will get you killed.”

She was silent for a moment. “The Guardians follow the latter understanding. They have not told their children of the Insight of Paths, in nearly any form.” She paused. “Barring Kia. I believe Khachi knows some version, but Kia has warned him against mentioning it to any others. Kia holds many powerful Insights, and is wary of their spread. She knows a lot of history.”

What does that mean?

They walked in silence for a bit longer as Nathan thought through the implications of what Faline had said.

This sounds like a bit of a superstition - I doubt there’s been a randomized controlled trial to test the Insight of Paths. No wonder people believe different versions or believe the effect isn’t strong.

Struck by another thought, Nathan asked a question. “Is the same true for utility skill and Talent Developments? If I Develop a Talent to be broader in scope, will it rank up more easily?”

Faline shot an amused look back at him. “Brightness shines from your eyes. I believe so - but I also hold that broader Paths require more Powerful Insights to Develop. A broad Talent may rank up quickly, but it requires a grand Insight to Develop, and a smaller Insight will make it more specialized and less useful. It is a balance.”

They again walked in silence for a time, dodging past a series of collared slaves working on repairing their crudely-built homes. Nathan knew they couldn’t hear him, but he still restrained himself while they were so close.

Those repairs look long-overdue. I bet they’re only able to work on it now because of the lockdown.

Nathan was about to ask more questions, but Faline held up a silencing hand. “We are soon to enter the inner city. Keep your head down, make no moves unless I give the signal.

Faline led Nathan out into the streets, weaving past several patrols that didn’t give them a second glance - likely due to her skills. She was taking them on a circuitous path that didn’t seem to be approaching the inner city. A few times they came into view of the guarded entries, but then turned back immediately and for no apparent reason.

I’m already trusting her a lot - and she backed me against Taeol. She has a plan and just hasn’t seen fit to inform me yet.

As they walked, Nathan felt magic pulse across the city in an intangible wave that washed through streets and buildings alike. The parts of the complex spell that approached Nathan fizzed out and vanished an inch away from his skin. His Stamina ticked up a few points.

Seems like that was the detection enchantment. Not powerful locally, but over an entire city, it’s got some serious juice. Pretty complex to boot. I wonder if humans can cast spells like that or if you need a huge enchantment for it. Probably - I know of spells like [Earthquake].

Faline gave no sign she’d noticed, and they continued to walk calmly along the streets, surreptitiously dodging patrols. The pulse came again, and then again. It wasn’t entirely predictable, but seemed to happen approximately every half-hour. With nothing better to do, Nathan started anticipating the activation of the detection enchantment, trying to understand it better, as well as pinpoint the source.

He didn’t get anything better than ‘in the center of the city,’ but did catch the spell interacting with Taeol’s ring. The wave of magic wrapped around Faline and clung like sticky wrap for a moment. Then a faint pulse of magic emanated from the archmage’s mark and the spell vanished from Faline like foam under a blowtorch.

Magical Perception 3 achieved!

Eventually Faline found what she was looking for, and they headed towards a minor gate into the inner city. It was tucked away behind a series of workshops, and was almost more of an alley than a gate. At first, it looked unguarded. But as they approached, Nathan spotted a single slavemaster leaning against the wall with a half-dozen slave-soldiers on the other side of the gate.

The slavemaster looked blearily up and murmured something inaudible.

The derision in Faline’s tone was clear. “What was that?”

The man looked up at her with bloodshot eyes blinking rapidly. “Password?” He didn’t sound like he was asking for a password, he sounded like he was trying to figure out if he should ask for the password.

A blurred word came from Faline before she moved to walk past the man with a businesslike stride.

He frowned slowly, then held out his hand to block her path. “Wazzat?”

Faline rounded on him. “You are drunk.” She sniffed slightly. “And worse. You are on duty in an emergency event. I will not be delayed by your inability to remember the proper call and response.”

The other man cowered, and Nathan felt the backwash of some kind of social skill. It was a bit like the intimidation skill he’d felt from Kozar - but more nuanced. That skill had tried to cow Nathan with the threat of imminent violence. This one sought to impose Faline's chosen narrative on them.

I bet it’s called something like [Believe my Tale]. Or [The World is my Stage] - it seems like Faline’s build is heavy on social-manipulation and stealth skills, but pretty light on combat.

The slavemaster cowered back with vague complaints that there hadn’t been any warning on the call-out. Faline merely snorted and walked past him into the inner city, with Nathan close on her tail.

There were fewer patrols here, though the ones that did exist were led by mages instead of slavemasters. Faline dodged them adroitly, always keeping a large distance from the patrols. They skirted just barely around one group, and Nathan was able to sense a spell spread in a radius from each mage. It was a detection spell - it would latch onto large living things and point them out to the mage.

Faline seemed to know the distance by heart, and they moved through the city without incident before entering a large park that occupied the space between the second and third hills. A wave of mental magic spread over the city again, more powerful now that they were closer to its source.

I think that’s coming from the first hill. Exea's mansion. Makes sense - she’s the governor, she controls the Giantsrest military. Not a surprise the security enchantments are also there. That makes it a giant target for us.

There was a hedge maze in the center of the park that was full of private little corners, and Nathan let out a relieved breath as Faline ushered him into a hidden nook. Night fell as he sat down on the stone bench, and he looked up at Faline. “It’s night. What is the second part of the Insight of Paths, and how does it get me a second class?”

She transformed back into her more familiar form, then looked down at him. Her eyes were like green fireflies in the sudden darkness. “Your Path is more than what your class is specialized towards. It is your purpose, and elites are those who align their class and their purpose. They take a class that suits them.”

Faline’s attention felt like a heavy blanket, like she was proctoring a life-or-death exam. “Tell me, Nathan Lark. What is your purpose on Davrar? What do you seek to accomplish?”

Status of Nathan Lark:

Permanent Talent 1: Aura of Antimagic 1

Permanent Talent 2: Perfected Body 6

Talent 3: High-tier Slow Fall 9

Class: Implacable Antimage level 144

Deepened Stamina: 4047/4620

Antimage’s Impassivity

Antimagic Momentum

Raging Thrill

Implacable Inertia

Unarmored Resilience

Improved Antimagic

Strenuous Agility

Hand-to-hand Expertise

Utility skills:

Battle Meditation 6

High-tier Earnestness 9

High-tier Sprinting 3

Magical Perception 3

High-tier Notice 5

High-tier Identify 6

High-tier Dodging Footwork 6

High-tier Enhanced Memory 8

Mid-tier Lecturing 9

High-tier Tumbling 3