Ends of Magic

Nathan barely hesitated before leaping off the edge of the cliff. The tower behind him was capable of magic on a level he’d never before experienced. He didn’t want to let it keep trying until it figured out something that worked.

Like just accelerating chunks of mundane rock at me.

The air whipped by as he fell, and Nathan used [Slow Fall] to guide himself away from the sheer cliff face so he didn't collide with a stone outcropping. The tickling wind helped Nathan realize he was naked and hairless once again - the tower’s spell had vaporized everything outside of his skin.

Of course it did. I don’t have any spare clothes, and even if I did they would also have been vaporized. That magic vaporized every piece of gear I had.

Nathan’s sigh was ripped away by the wind of his descent, but his Rage exulted in the thrill of the terminal plunge.

Am I getting jaded, that I can skydive naked and have my biggest worry be being unclothed after landing?

Nathan looked at the landscape spread below him, especially the deep crevasse right underneath him. He saw faint lights down there, deep beneath the earth. Some of them looked uncomfortably like eyes. Really big eyes. Nathan’s lips curled back as he imagined plunging into the unknown depths without any gear whatsoever.

That would be a real thrill.

Then he shook himself. He wasn't just an adrenaline junkie. He had friends to save.

[Slow Fall] drank Stamina steadily as Nathan angled his fall to land on the far side of the chasm, changing the angle of his fall without slowing the speed. He didn’t want to descend beneath the earth, but he also didn’t want to slowly drift down in view of anybody in the valley below.

I am so curious as to what’s down there, but that’s not my mission. I’m getting to Halsmet today, half a day after the Heirs were kidnapped. At the end of one hell of an ultra-marathon.

Nathan decelerated himself as he approached the ground below, bending his knees to gently touch down in a field of scraggly grass. He'd aimed for just behind a stand of trees that looked like they were regularly coppiced for wood.

High-tier Slow Fall 9 achieved!

You have leveled up to level 119! Congratulations, you have survived directly challenging a Kalis Tower of High Magery.

More like a tower of fuck-offery.

Nathan crouched low in the grass, taking a deep breath and calming his Rage. He spent a moment looking around, spotting nobody. Then he shivered. There wasn’t any snow in this valley, but the wind felt like it was coming directly from the white-capped peaks.

I really am going to need to get clothes at some point. Or just use [Perfected Body] to direct heat generation to keep me from freezing.

Nathan started moving through the grass, headed in the direction of the nearest farm that he’d spotted from above. He needed to scope out the lay of the land – and preferably also find clothing and a disguise. He snuck along a loose stone wall built of rocks pulled out of the adjoining fields that looked half-plowed with crooked furrows. He saw the reason for the crude plowing as he came over the rise. Two human figures were struggling to pull a crude wooden plow through the dirt, while a much smaller figure followed behind and seemed to be spreading seeds. They were dressed in crude and baggy clothing that covered most of their bodies.

Looks warm, but I don’t want to just jump three of them. Maybe I can filch some clothes from a clothesline.

Nathan continued, aiming for the low house farther along. As he approached, he was surprised at how close to the ground and dreary it was. The structure was small, built of round unshaped stones and whole logs. Broad gaps between rock and stone were plugged with untreated dirt.

He circled the structure, very aware of being a naked dude prowling around somebody’s house. There was no handy clothesline to snatch clothes from, but as Nathan rounded the corner he saw a man slowly loading a two-wheeled handcart from a half-collapsed shed set against the side of the building.

Nathan flinched back, wary of being seen. However, the man appeared to be completely unaware of the landscape around him. He was singlemindedly focused on loading the handcart with a pile of raw grain.

Looking around, Nathan shrugged and then quickly rushed up behind the man as he went back into the shed for another scoop of grain. Clapping a hand over the man’s mouth, Nathan bore him to the ground.

The man started thrashing wildly, though his strength was no greater than human standard. Nathan had no trouble controlling him, ignoring the manic biting as he pinned the man to the ground.

What is going on? Why is he fighting like this?

Then Nathan bothered to pay attention to his new magical senses, detecting a crudely enchanted item close around the man’s neck. Nathan brought his other hand up, feeling a chunky metal collar. A wave of revulsion swept through him.

Of course. Seems like it’s controlling the man. Crude, mass-produced magic to control people. Let’s get this off.

A firm grip sufficed to suck the mana out of the collar, and struggling was replaced with rasping breathing. The collar didn’t come off, but a bit of groping revealed that it was formed of two metal pieces that were riveted together on either side of the neck.

Nathan grasped one of those connection points, bending and twisting. His Rage flared to life once more as he fought to tear the slave collar from the man’s neck. With a guttural growl he ripped the metal apart, leaving one of the rivet points bent and torn.

The man under Nathan had gone still. The skin of his neck was callused and chafed from years underneath the device, but Nathan hadn't broken skin in ripping the collar off. Grabbing the man's wrist, Nathan checked for a pulse, and quickly found one. He took a deep breath and released his Rage once more, satisfied.

I hope he’s ok. I hope he can be free now. I might have sentenced him to death, I might have given him an opportunity. But I’m not going to make it my problem. I’m here to save the Heirs, and he has things I need.

Nathan quickly stripped the man of his clothes, pulling on the thick and smelly garments. The body revealed was gaunt and worn, with a pad of scars across the back and swollen joints. Nathan quickly buried him to the neck in the grain at the back of the shed, hoping this would keep the man from freezing to death.

Then he picked up the disenchanted slave collar with a look of disgust, closing it over his own neck and twisting it so the broken section was hidden by the hood of his outfit. Stepping outside the shed, Nathan took in the cart, which was mostly filled with a pile of grain. There were no beasts of burden present - and no barn or other sign of livestock. The handles on the front looked designed for a person.

After all, their livestock are people. The cart's almost certainly used to deliver food - like this grain - to Halsmet. These are farming slaves whose job is to supply the city with food. So if I take the cart to the city dressed in his clothes it should at least get me past the gates.

Shrugging, Nathan grabbed the cart and started towing it in the direction he'd seen the city. He couldn’t sprint without it bouncing too much, but with his enhancements and level it was only a minor burden. The problem was that a slave wouldn’t be running with a cart like this. Nathan could slow down and put his head down to camouflage himself, but that would make this journey take longer.

I'll be fine as long as I spot people before they spot me. I’ve got [Notice]. Just need to keep my head on a swivel.

Nathan passed by several other farms, and was careful to slow down to a fast walk whenever he could spot people.

I don’t think I should be particularly worried about the slave farmers reporting me. But I also don’t want to be so obviously out of place in case there is somebody I need to worry about around here.

None of them paid the slightest attention to Nathan, not even bothering to spare him a wave. There was no traffic on the path - whose ruts got deeper and bumpier as he proceeded onwards.

Then Nathan was climbing the low pass that separated this valley from Halsmet. It wasn’t a steep climb, and halfway up the climb the dirt track joined up with a stone road that seemed to lead to some sort of mine based on the massive tailings piles.

If the farmers live like that, I bet the miners are even worse. I knew Giantsrest didn’t give a single shit about their slaves, but it’s something else to see it in person.

As he crested the pass, Nathan slowed to a trudge, taking in the view in front of him.

Halsmet was built atop a broad hill with four peaks that rose out of the center of a broad valley. A tall wall wrapped around the base of the slope, and the road Nathan was on led directly to a gate on the nearest face of the wall. Beyond the walls were slums, full of crudely constructed buildings. A little bit farther up were windowless stone buildings that looked copy-pasted from here. Then around the crown of the hill was an expansive neighborhood of well-constructed stone townhouses. And finally, atop each peak was a fancy mansion, complete with their own walls and gardens.

Nathan’s gaze panned over each of the fortified manors in turn, noting how the fanciness scaled with the height of the hill. The biggest one was atop the tallest hill, protected by walls that shone with enchantments. But Nathan’s eyes locked onto the second-tallest hill, and the fancy but not glowing mansion atop it.

That’s where the Heirs are. Harthi told me that’s where Taeol set up his base. It’s the information I have. But one step at a time - let's deal with getting into the city first.

It took a frustratingly long time for Nathan to approach the city, since he was limiting himself to the halting trudge that would be expected of a farmer in poor health. He used the time to prep himself for what was coming. He was going to try and sneak through the city, enter Taoel’s mansion, then break out the Heirs. After that, he'd have to play it by ear. They might try to break out of the city, or find a place in the slums to lay low.

Ah, what a respectable plan. I don't have to worry about my plan surviving contact with the enemy if I don't have one, right?

Nathan checked his mental state - was he ready for this? His Stamina was full, and he was oh so ready to commit violence. But he was tired. He’d only slept a few hours last night before his watch, and had run a hundred miles since then.

Wait a second. I can fix that problem.

[Perfected Body] allowed Nathan to alter his own biochemistry. He’d been conservative with it so far, wanting to remain basically human and not mess with his brain too much. But infiltrating an enemy city on two hours of sleep would get him killed. So Nathan focused his Talent on his brain, attempting to sweep away the fatigue toxins. He kept the touch light, preferring to remain a little sleepy instead of accidentally removing all dopamine in his brain and falling unconscious.

The end result was more like taking a few shots of espresso than a true night’s sleep, but it was better than nothing.

His careful brain-experimentation had taken a little while, and now Nathan was approaching the gate. There were slave-soldiers on alert on either side of the stone tunnel, and he spotted some more keeping watch atop the towers along the wall. They completely ignored Nathan, and he entered the gate unchallenged.

As he was passing through the wall, Nathan was able to detect a dozen enchantments on the gatehouse. He couldn’t pick out what they did, but some of them were clearly for strengthening the wall, while others were supposed to detect anything coming through the portal.

Well, I’m supposed to be here. So just act like a beaten-down, mind-controlled slave and it should get me into the city.

As he passed through the thick wall, Nathan saw that there were two squads of sixteen slave soldiers on either side of the gate exit, standing in formation. Just beyond them was a fat slavemaster, watching Nathan approach with a bored expression on his face.

I hope this works, otherwise I’m going to need to make a lot of noise almost immediately.

Tendrils of magic probed at Nathan, but failed to find purchase. Nathan emerged through the gate, keeping his head down. He was watching the slavemaster out of the corner of his eye. When the man frowned and stepped into Nathan’s path, his heart rate jumped.

The slavemaster’s gaze slipped between Nathan and something just over the gate that Nathan had emerged from. “Endings-damned enchantment… You. Farming Slave. What’s your identifier?”

I don’t know the proper format for that - I think anything I say will give me away. Probably best to play dumb, then sucker-punch him when he gets close.

The slave master was waiting for a response, and his frown deepened. He spoke again, slower and louder this time. “Speak. Your. Number.”

When Nathan again failed to answer, the slavemaster sighed. He didn’t seem alarmed, just annoyed. He addressed the guards. “Seal the gate.”

Then he turned to Nathan. “Follow.” The words carried a weight of command, and Nathan found his feet moving without his own input. His Rage swelled in response to the order, and Nathan let it subsume him.

I want the resistance to commands that my Rage gives me. But I also can’t betray how furious I am. And I might need every iota of that Stamina later.

Keeping the tension from his movements, Nathan trudged after the slavemaster, following him up the well-kept road. There were many other people in the street - though the vast majority of them were clearly slaves from their dress. Not all wore collars, but the ones that did were clearly dirtier and rougher than the ones without.

A few slavemasters walked the road, often at the front of gangs of slaves headed to some task. Nathan spotted one green-robed mage above, with a clear bubble of space around them.

The road cut through the slums that formed the outermost layer of Halsmet, headed towards the next layer of the town. They were about halfway to the next layer when a cultured voice sounded ahead.

“Slavemaster.”

Nathan looked up, seeing the figure in green robes standing before them.

Shit. What now?

The man who had been leading Nathan bowed deeply from the waist, hand going to the whip at his side in a ritualistic manner. “I am at your service, Enslavement Mage.”

Nathan had been poised to attack both men, keeping an eye out for any signs he was discovered. As soon as the slavemaster wasn’t looking the green-robed mage fixed Nathan with a steady look. His eyes flickered, and dull blue eyes were replaced with blazing colors, one green, the other pink.

I’ve seen those exact eye colors before.

The beacons of light only shone for an instant. Then the slavemaster raised his head again to look at the mage’s fleshy face, and the brightly glowing eyes were replaced with a very faintly glowing watery blue.

That has to be Faline, the leader of the Assassins of Gemore. Her eyes were that exact shade of green. Each time I met her, she winked at me and an eye flickered that exact shade of pink. It must have been to teach me the recognition signal. She's probably over level 700, so I'm honestly not surprised she can shapeshift.

High-tier Enhanced Memory 8 achieved!

The mage - who Nathan thought was Faline - raised an eyebrow, and the slavemaster took it as a question, speaking respectfully. “A farming slave from the south. Collar’s broke, but he’s as dumb as a soul eater’s puppet. I’m taking him to the second barracks so they can figure it out.”

The mage spoke again, his tone superior and condescending. “And leaving the gate unwatched? Back to your post, slavemaster. I will handle this wayward slave.”

The slavemaster dipped his head again. “At your word.”

He turned away, and Nathan stared at the mage. They gestured sharply. “Follow, my tool.”

If I’m right, I need to talk to her. If I’m wrong, I can always jump whoever this is later. But I don’t think I’m wrong, especially with the rank-up.

Nathan went along with it, pausing as the figure took a turn down a side street. They walked confidently in the center of the street, and everybody else made way. Nathan hurried to keep up, following in the path cleared by their presence.

“This way. Abandon the cart.”

He obeyed, continuing to trail the mage as they led him down a narrow alley. The two of them stopped before an unremarkable door. Keys slid smoothly into a lock and they stepped inside a surprisingly broad room. It was fully furnished with a cooking setup and a table surrounded by chairs. A room at the back led into a bedroom with a broad and cozy bed.

The door swung shut, and the body under the robe changed. With a flourish Faline cast off the outfit that marked her as an enslavement mage of Giantsrest, precisely landing it on a wall-mounted hook. She was wearing her tight leathers underneath, and cocked one hand on her hip to give him a dazzling smile.

Her voice was teasing. “Well. Prophecy did not foretell Nathan Lark in Giantsrest so soon! It brightens my eyes that you have accepted my invitation.” She twisted her hips suggestively as she sat at one of the chairs, indicating the other for him. “Let us sit and speak. There is much to cover. Luckily I am not expected anywhere for some time."

The assassin shook out her dark hair, eyeing him languidly. Then she seemed to notice his tense posture and stony expression. Her demeanor changed from flirtatious to serious in an instant. “What occurs?”

Nathan took a deep breath. “Badud - the Questor - kidnapped the other Heirs last night. He turned them over to archmage Taeol, who is based here. The mansion on the second-largest hill.”

Faline’s brow furrowed in thought, and her eyes grew calculating. “He has been there a few months, working on recapturing you. A hermit for most things. Do they know you're here? Is Badud here?” The last question was spoken like a whipcrack, and Faline half-rose from the table as if to depart immediately.

Nathan shook his head. “Badud said he was going back to the academy. The abduction was more than a hundred miles south of here.” He shrugged. "I think they were expecting me to go back to Gemore and get help.”

She nodded, then finished standing and slapped the table. Her eyes blazed “But help has found you. Thank the divine I listened to my [Dramatic Entrance] skill. This is your nemesis to slay, but time is our foe.”

Nathan hesitated, then moved towards the door with her. “[Dramatic Entrance]?”

“My first class was [Bard].” Faline smirked at him. “Enough of this. I cannot penetrate the [Mage Armor] of an archmage directly. But I can get you to the manor and prevent any from following.”

Status of Nathan Lark:

Permanent Talent 1: Magic Absorption 10

Permanent Talent 2: Perfected Body 4

Talent 3: High-tier Slow Fall 9

Class: Implacable Antimage level 119

Stamina: 3515/3870

Antimage’s Impassivity

Antimagic Momentum

Raging Thrill

Implacable Inertia

Unarmored Resilience

Improved Antimagic

Strenuous Agility

Hand-to-hand Expertise

Utility skills:

Battle Meditation 5

High-tier Earnestness 9

High-tier Sprinting 2

Magical Perception 1

High-tier Notice 4

High-tier Identify 5

High-tier Dodging Footwork 5

High-tier Enhanced Memory 8

Mid-tier Lecturing 8

High-tier Tumbling 2