Ends of Magic

Nathan had completely lost track of Faline, but figured she was somewhere in the dark room. He stepped forward, trying to look out for any more traps that might awaken his target. Histol dho Fulku, the man in the bed, was a high-leveled enforcement mage. A member of the Giantsrest military and a dangerous foe.

At least, usually would be. But he’s asleep, and I’m close enough it wouldn’t matter if he woke up now. But it’s important that I don’t kill him in a Rage during head-on combat, like I’ve faced every foe I’ve fought so far. I need to assassinate him. Kill him without a fair fight, because I want him dead. Not because he poses a threat - because I want him dead.

Shivering slightly at the thought, Nathan’s feet padded across the thick carpet. He was jittery from Stamina overload, and he slipped into [Battle Meditation] to control his breathing. But this felt different than the usual rush of combat - he’d gotten used to the thrill of the fight, more intense than extreme sports. This feeling was more like the sick anxiety of an exam, where the body’s fight-or-flight response was more of a hindrance than help.

I need to be calm, precise. This isn’t a fight, it’s an assassination.

Nathan paused for a moment, closing his eyes and focusing on manually bringing his hormone and blood sugar levels back to normal. Thanks to [Perfected Body], it worked. A few seconds later Nathan opened his eyes again, looking around the room without his earlier tunnel vision.

The first thing that caught his attention was that seemingly everything in the room was enchanted to one degree or another - often for comfort, or durability, or simply for beauty. Categorizing and dismissing items occupied Nathan for a little while, and he focused on a few that shone more brightly than anything else.

A ring on Histol’s finger reminded Nathan of the enchantments on the mark that Faline still bore, which had been taken from Taeol’s body. It wasn’t the same - not as powerful, but of the same type.

That’s his mage mark - probably opens doors and enchantments all over the city. Quite a few of them, if he’s an agent of Exea.

There was another item that caught Nathan’s attention, which was a pendant around the man’s neck. It was abuzz with powerful enchantments, and he narrowed his eyes at the complex magic crammed into the item. It clearly had multiple functions, but one of them reminded Nathan of something he’d seen not so long ago.

High-tier Identify 7 achieved!

Nathan spared a glance for the other figures on the bed, seeing two women. The one on the far side of the bed was older, the same well-fed middle-aged as Histol. She was also a mage, but only a weak one. If he had to guess, she wasn’t even level 81.

I mean, you need to survive something like ten life-threatening encounters to reach level 81, so it’s not an easy bar to clear. Though I’m pretty sure Giantsrest has a way to level outside of Adventuring at their Academy.

The other occupant of the bed, on the side closer to Nathan, was a pretty woman around his age. She bore a slim leather collar around her neck that contained the familiar threading of mind magic, though it felt like a lighter touch than most of the spells Nathan had encountered before.

Should I free her? Maybe after we’re done. I don’t know anything about her, and don’t want her waking Histol by accident.

Nathan focused his attention down to just his target and took a deep breath. He started by once more forming a spike of antimagic extending from his fist, and carefully poking it into the amulet. It might be a powerful healing item, but it almost certainly would alert somebody if Histol died. The spike of antimagic enveloped the amulet and stabbed into the mage’s chest.

Can I drain him of magic permanently? Let him live somehow, maybe take it myself? I’m planning on killing him anyway, but it would be good to know. It was an option for potential Development of [Implacable Antimage].

Nathan was aware he was clutching at straws here - but he paid close attention to his sense of Histol’s magic before his attention was drawn back to the amulet. Every other enchantment had broken in moments before his Talent, but this item was stubbornly resisting. The magic that made it up was a cut above every other item in the house, more akin to the magic of the Kalis conclave tower.

But it wasn’t activating or fighting back. Nathan took his time, eroding the powerful magic layer by layer.

Even the hardest rock is worn down by water and wind. And this is closer to zinc in hydrochloric acid.

It took concentration and focus, but after a minute the outer shell of the amulet cracked apart, revealing a fractal complexity even beyond what Nathan had initially detected. The edges of the magic eroded as excess Stamina flowed into Nathan once more. He calmed the jitters with [Perfected Body] as they threatened to throw off his focus.

Aura of Antimagic 2 achieved!

The entire time, the spike of aura had been connected to Histol’s chest. Nathan could feel the man’s magic, the pool of magic granted by his class attached to him but not part of his body. He tried to siphon the resource, but only the barest of shreds of the raw mana escaped. There was a feeling that it was close - that he could adjust the wavelength of his antimagic to completely drain the mana out of the mage.

Not permanently - yet. But if I figure it out I bet it'll be an option when I Develop [Implacable Antimage].

His experimentation was interrupted by the amulet finally coming apart with a small puff of dust and scattering of sparks.

Nathan froze in place as Histol murmured in his sleep, but the younger slave that Nathan was leaning over blinked blearily awake, looking up at him for a frozen moment.

Then Faline was there, her hand clapped over the woman’s mouth as a dagger stabbed into a smooth back once, twice, three times. Right lung, left lung, heart. Blood spurted off the bed, spattering Nathan’s legs.

Faline’s voice was a whisper in his ear, the tone a smooth counterpoint to the brutal violence. “Kill him. You have decided he will die. Now fulfill your own prophecy.” He could feel the heat from her breath on his neck, more intimate than the gross warmth of the lifeblood dripping down his legs.

Nathan closed his eyes for a second, shutting out the slave’s glassy eyes and bearing down on the moment of nausea.

The man deserves to die.

His eyes opened, his brow furrowed, and his fist came down. It wasn’t driven by Rage, but by a cold determination and Nathan’s entire body weight. Histol’s neck folded around his fist as the skill- and Talent- enhanced blow crushed the trachea and fragmented bone.

The mage’s eyes flew open, but only a faint choking sound escaped his mouth. Histol’s lower body stayed completely immobile as his face twitched, gasping for air. It took less than ten seconds for him to fall unconscious.

Yup, blocked the carotid with that hit. Internal bleeding in the neck, in addition to a broken spine.

Nathan felt detached as he clinically watched Histol turn purple, his chest struggling to rise and fall. Then that movement stopped.

Faline appeared on the other side of the bed, seriously gauging Nathan’s expression. The last person alive in the bed stretched in her sleep and rolled to put an arm around Histol. Faline casually stabbed the middle-aged woman in the back of the neck, the enchanted dagger severing the spine and emerging from the front of her throat with a spurt of blood and a gurgling gasp.

Congratulations, you have killed Histol dho Fulku of Giantsrest, a powerful enforcement mage! You can either gain 12 levels of Implacable Antimage, or gain the second class Assassin.

A description of his new class popped up, and Nathan looked it over carefully.

Assassin: You have infiltrated a highly secured location to assassinate an enemy without facing him in open combat. This class will make you sneakier, and more adept at neutralizing enemies in a single unexpected attack. It may Develop into classes focused on stealth or dealing grievous wounds unexpectedly.

Faline hadn’t broken eye contact with Nathan, and she raised one delicate eyebrow inquisitively.

He nodded back. “[Assassin]”

The green in the woman’s eyes flared to life, and her smile was positively sharklike. The assassin spread bloody hands wide like a stage magician unveiling a trick. “Now you have stared the ghoul in the eye. Accept the class, and I will put you on the Path of an [Assassin of Gemore].”

Nathan accepted the new class with only the barest moment of hesitation.

Not like I’m going to reject it now. A second class with its own skills is worth significantly more than a few more levels of my current class.

Congratulations, you are now an Assassin, and have unlocked three class skills! These skills are tied to the parent class, and their power will increase with your level in that class. Davrar applauds your achievement, and hopes you will continue to survive and prosper. New class skill Focus: You have unlocked the Focus resource! Focus will accumulate during periods where you are free from distraction, and can be spent to enhance your attention and improve your control. It can also be used to enhance other skills or Talents that utilize Focus. New class skill Vital Targeting: You will be better able to identify the weak points of your foes, and your strikes against those areas are more likely to inflict debilitating damage. New class skill Stealthy Movement: Your movements will be harder to notice. This effect can be enhanced by spending Focus.

Assassin has leveled to 12!

Nathan shook himself, the reality of what he’d done setting in. He’d killed before, but the cold-blooded rationality of this had felt different.

It doesn’t make any difference, does it? Certainly not to Histol.

Then Nathan’s eyes panned over the other two corpses. They wouldn’t be dead if he hadn’t come here for Histol, and he was not entirely sure either of them had deserved to die.

The slave especially. Maybe if I'd moved faster then Faline wouldn't have killed them.

But it had happened. Nathan felt the slave’s blood dripping down his legs.

We need to get out of here. We’re still in the middle of a city whose rulers want us dead. And we just killed a leader of the guards.

He moved to leave, breathing deeply. Then Nathan heard a rattle behind him and turned to see Faline leaning over the bed, stripping the jewelry from the corpses. The blood seemed to slide from her black clothing as she moved around the room, whipping a blue mage’s robe off a stand and stuffing it into her bag.

She sent him a quieting gesture. “There is much to be gained here, as the alarm has not been raised. Wait a moment.”

Nathan collapsed into a small enchanted chair that sat against one wall, flinching slightly as it tried to conform to his bulk before freezing as the enchantment broke. He watched dully as Faline efficiently searched the room, throwing things into her pouches based on some metric he didn’t have the energy to figure out.

After all, he had other things to think about.

I got another class resource? Not something I was expecting. This class isn’t as good in direct combat as [Antimagic Brawler] was - but that’s not a surprise. It’s not really a direct combat class, but It’s probably as close to one as I could get without overlapping too heavily with [Implacable Antimage] and just getting levels in that instead of a new class. The whole point was that I didn’t kill Histol in direct combat.

The new skills are - ok. [Stealthy Movement] seems great, but looking over it again, it only boosts ‘movement’, not stealth generally. And [Vital Targeting] - is kind of eh. If I get my hands on a mage they’re already toast, so it’s more helpful for fighters or constructs. Though it might be really helpful for the magical constructs. It’s not always easy to tell where to hit them when they’re covered with armor.

I think it’ll help some in a fight - if nothing else Focus is useful, and should let me pull off even more ridiculous acrobatics. And the other two won’t hurt. The class will let me start fights on my own terms, instead of just busting in and drawing all of the attention.

I think I’m most excited about the new utility skills - the new cap is 14? Faline said she’s planning on teaching me [Noticeability] and [Lockpicking]. Both sound useful, though lockpicking seems kind of eh.

“Let’s go.” Faline’s low voice shocked Nathan out of his stupor. “Wipe down your legs.”

He quickly stood, following her directions before walking out of the bedroom and to the foyer. Faline had collected the sheet of fabric and was looking around at the other doors before pointing to the heavily warded one they’d almost gone through before. The one the guard had been standing in front of.

Nathan blinked at her, then shrugged and walked over to disable the magical locks and traps. His additional rank of [Aura of Antimagic] made it easier than before, and it took only a minute before he pushed through the door to reveal a lavish office - that was a total mess. The desk was cluttered with scrolls while small glowing tablets were scattered nearly everywhere.

Faline spent ten minutes tearing the room apart, enlisting Nathan to crack open several locked drawers and a small safe. The safe was a heavily enchanted block of solid metal, and the tiny compartment inside held a single dimensional bag. Faline checked it and a sly smile spread across her face. “Enough enchanted items and magical materials to draw a Questor’s eye.”

They left the office and Faline indicated the next door over.

Nathan took a step towards it before he paused. He spoke in a whisper, still aware of the guard down in the entryway to the house. “What’s behind there?”

More bedrooms?

The assassin gave him an evaluating look, taking a full five seconds to examine his face. Then she shrugged and spun towards the back stairs. “Let’s depart. We have what we came for.”

I wonder what that was about.

They retraced their steps, stepping over the sleeping cook. Nathan felt like his movements were definitely smoother than before. He didn’t have to pay attention to avoid banging into anything, and the door closed with barely a whisper of sound. They exited out onto the alley, and he felt a weight lift from his chest.

I know we could have fought our way out, but right now it feels like I just escaped an enemy stronghold with a valuable prize. Even if we’re still in the center of the most militarized city in Giantsrest I’ve got the new class, which is one heck of a prize.

Nathan leaned against the wall and let out a breath. “What now? Back to the Heirs?”

Faline shook her head, pointing farther down the street. “We have lit a flame. It would be a waste not to fan it to the fullest.” She produced the ring she’d taken from Histol’s finger, then quickly swapped it for Taoel’s.

“Taeol’s mark will attract too much attention. But Histol…” Faline’s expression was satisfied as her face morphed into a visage Nathan had just seen fifteen minutes before - though that one had been purple and dead.

Faline drew out the blue robe she’d grabbed upstairs, settling it over her new form before kissing the ring. “Histol isn’t dead yet.” She pulled out a badge she’d grabbed from inside and clipped it to her chest before frowning down at her neck. “You destroyed the amulet because it was dangerous?”

Nathan nodded back. “I think it could cast [Message] autonomously. Didn’t want it to alert somebody that Histol was under attack.”

The disguised assassin in front of him nodded her head. “True aim. This should kill the problem.” She pulled a different amulet from her pouch, tucking it under her robe. “Put this on.” She tossed a purple robe at Nathan.

He caught it, fingering the fine fabric for a moment before pulling it over his own loose clothing. “What do the colors mean?”

Gesturing for him to follow, Faline set off. “There are nine main colors. Purple is a high-tier student, who has passed the second tier of exams at the Ascendent Academy and proven themselves worthy of apprenticeship. Most seek to become archmages.” The sneer was obvious in her voice.

Like Harthi. Both her and her friend had purple robes.

Faline turned the corner and took a careful look around before she continued her lecture. “Gray marks the low-tier students, those who have not passed the first test. Mid-tier students wear white.” She fingered her own blue robe. “Blue are enforcement mages, those who keep the peace and defend the cities.

“There are more. Green for enslavement mages. Red for war mages. Pink for entertainment.” Her face twisted in a snarl. “Black for the Nails.”

Nathan cocked his head. “Nails?”

“Mages who specialize in stealth, assassination, and subterfuge.” She spun a knife Nathan hadn’t seen her draw. “They focus inside Giantsrest, ensuring that none challenge the will of the Archmages. Or the Founders. I do not think there are many in this city, because Exea is unfriendly with Cala.”

Then the knife vanished. “They come to Gemore occasionally. The guard is trained and equipped to spot them. I catch any who slip through.”

She turned to speak to Nathan directly. “They use spells and coins as their weapons. It was a Nail that hired the Pack leaders to kidnap you. Her blood was on my knife when first we met.” Faline quirked her lips. “I wonder how Eldred is doing now? Probably running another sad escort route to deliver fabric from Surfeld. While you strike at the heart of Giantsrest.”

Her gaze dropped to Nathan’s fist. “Or it’s throat.”

Then she turned and strode purposefully away. “Your gaze should be on our next mission. We head to the barracks for mages who do not yet have their own houses. Most are recent graduates of the Academy. Do not underestimate them. They all know mind magic, and most have used it.”

We’re going to go kill more people in their sleep?

Status of Nathan Lark:

Permanent Talent 1: Aura of Antimagic 2

Permanent Talent 2: Perfected Body 6

Talent 3: High-tier Slow Fall 9

Class: Implacable Antimage level 144

Deepened Stamina: 4610/4620

Antimage’s Impassivity

Antimagic Momentum

Raging Thrill

Implacable Inertia

Unarmored Resilience

Improved Antimagic

Strenuous Agility

Hand-to-hand Expertise

Class: Assassin level 12

Focus: 220/220

Vital Targeting

Stealthy Movement

Utility skills:

Battle Meditation 6

High-tier Earnestness 9

High-tier Sprinting 3

Magical Perception 4

High-tier Notice 6

High-tier Identify 7

High-tier Dodging Footwork 6

High-tier Enhanced Memory 8

Mid-tier Lecturing 9

High-tier Tumbling 3