Ends of Magic

Chapter 34: The Calm Before a Metal Storm

Nathan examined his new level-up.

Phew. Ok. Thats a lot. Lets go into the details of this.

First - [Deepened Stamina] was a straight upgrade of [Stamina]. Great. Awesome. It meant it would be harder for Nathan to run out of Stamina and otherwise didnt change how he used the resource at all. He wondered if it would also change how overloading on Stamina would work?

Something to test. A lot of things to test, most likely.

Second, [Antimages Impassivity] seemed pretty good too. Hed gained some resistance to mind-affecting skills while Raging. That part was amazing. Nathan was aware that hed been mostly defenseless against skills like those of Giantsrest [Slavemasters] or the officers of Agmon, though Rage seemed to provide some base level of resistance. But now that protection was explicit. In trade hed lost the part of [Juggernaut's Wrath] where the skill would trigger his Rage automatically when he was badly injured.

I never really liked that my Rage could trigger on its own. Even if I have better control of it now, it still feels dangerous.

Finally, [Implacable Inertia] seemed like it just did more of what [Juggernaut's Inertia] already did - significantly greater momentum instead of just greater, and more immunity to being moved by magical effects.

Interestingly, his Rage skill hadnt changed at all - the text was still the same. Honestly, that was fine. [Raging Thrill] was a kind of Rage Nathan understood at this point, and he knew how to use it. It was also the most potentially dangerous of his skills - the rush of power and thrill of the fight had almost caused Nathan to make several unwise choices in the heat of the moment. With [Battle Meditation] he was pretty sure he had a handle on that, and didnt want to have to navigate that danger again if he could help it.

Though a more dangerous Rage skill would probably also make me significantly more powerful. I bet [Woundless Berserker] and [Manadrinker Einherjar] would have Developed [Raging Thrill].

But the new skills Nathan had gotten seemed to make him significantly more powerful. [Improved Antimagic] was basically perfect. It just greatly enhanced his antimagic, especially for protection. And it was only while he was Raging. That meant a modicum of control without weakening the Talent itself.

Still wont be able to handle enchanted items for very long. And if I get ambushed then I wont be any more immune to magic until I Rage. But thats what [Notice] is for.

The next was [Strenuous Agility] - which just made him faster and more agile, and made Stamina spent on mobility more effective. That might be the most important class skill Nathan had. If it worked as a flat multiplier on [Airwalking], it would be incredible. [Strenuous Agility] also sounded like it would synergize amazingly well with all of his other mobility skills. A solid win for the get better mobility goal.

Next to both of those skills, [Hand-to-hand Expertise] was just ok. It made him better at fighting. That was nice - but it felt more like a prerequisite to being an effective high-level Adventurer than something that would really push him over the top. He had to be able to hold his own against lower-level direct fighters like the Agmon legionaries, and this skill would help him do that. But it wouldnt let him beat somebody like Eldred in a straight duel.

Well, unless Im significantly higher level than he is. Which I might be? Weve taken a ton of risks recently. This dungeon was worth 9 levels. Thats a lot.

Nathan sighed, trying not to think of all of the potential that hed passed by for the other classes.

The road not traveled. This class will serve my purposes, no point ruminating on the others. Look forward to the next class Development! In 155 levels. Thats going to take a while.

He meditated for a while before bed, not thinking about anything in particular, but just trying to feel calm about the significant decision hed just made.

The next morning, Stella got a brief summary of the Delve day by [Message]. It had been a pretty successful day - no giant monsters, no team wipes. A couple of teams had lost a few people, but a grand total of almost a dozen dungeons had been cleared. The wilderness had been pushed back just a bit. The villages would be able to stretch their fields a bit farther, the trade routes would be a bit safer.

It was a hard gain to conceptualize. Gemore had been doing this sort of work for generations, slowly clearing an inhabitable zone. Nathan gazed out across the valley below, and it didnt seem like a small gain. But then he saw an angular spike protruding from the next valley over and shivered.

I think thats a Quazian marker over there. Weve reclaimed a little bit of land, but not very much. And no way are we going to go into a Quazian dungeon anytime soon. Too much risk of a Grave Tangle.

Nathan shook his head, and looked across at where Stella was practicing new magic. She was working on her lightning - aligning it more closely to real lightning. It had definitely grown more powerful as a result, and Nathan could faintly feel the static from here.

He walked over, waving to Sarah as she hunkered over her rifle, trying to ignore the occasional bolt of lightning as she focused on something out of Nathans sight. Aarl and Khachi were down in the courtyard, doing some light sparring.

Nathan walked up to Stella and reached for her shoulder, trying to get her attention. He got zapped for his trouble, an electric arc flickering out from the red-haired mage to his hand.

Ow! I was not expecting that. He said, shaking his hand back and forth to dispel the lingering electrical shock. [Implacable Impassivity] had prevented it from hurting, but the spell touching him through his antimagic had been enough of a surprise that Nathan had recoiled.

Stella turned towards him, her expression a combination of sheepish and triumphant. Ha! I thought that might do something to you. Not so immune to real electricity, are you? Its blasphemously hard to control, though.

Nathan raised his eyebrows. Dangerous stuff. You staying safe?

She shrugged. Its still magical, and I can control it with my magic. Ive worked out how to make an electrostatic field that prevents it from getting to me, right over my skin. A charge builds up on the outside and will zap anything that gets close. Im wondering if I can put some force into it and turn it into my own version of [Mage Armor]. Have any ideas?

Nathan shook his head. He had no idea how [Mage Armor] worked - it was one hell of a spell, and definitely not something his earth Insights could help with. Instead, he asked the question that was on his mind. Can you give me a hand with my new class skill? Ive got one that should help protect me against magic even better.

Stella rolled her eyes. Because thats a fire that needed to burn hotter. Fine. What do you want?

Nathan gestured down the hill. Ill go to the bottom of the slope, and I want you to try to stop me from getting to the top. You know that explosive force and conjured stone still works at pushing me backwards, and I want to know if Im more resistant to that now. Lets do it twice. Probably without [Natural Magic] for now, I want to see how it works against normal magic first.

Stella assented, and they tried it.

For the first time, Nathan tried it without his Rage. Stella could slow him - by detonating fireballs just ahead of him she could rock him back slightly, and light mana could still dazzle him and make it difficult to figure out his next steps. She hit him with conjured balls of rock, though Nathan had pretty good luck dodging those. She even turned the ground beneath his feet to slippery mud that should have sent Nathan sliding back down the slope. But he relied on his [Magic Absorption] and myriad mobility skills to power through the effect, flying up the hill like he was sprinting on flat ground.

I wasnt actively trying to use [Strenuous Agility], but I could definitely feel it. That was easy.

Then he tried it again - this time activating his Rage at the bottom of the climb. Nathan flew up the slope, ignoring all of Stellas attempts to stop him. Shed stepped it up, taking advantage of [Multicasting] to barrage him with panoply of explosives, conjured rocks and blasts of light. Nathan powered through it all, not even bothering to dodge conjured boulders that should have shattered his body. With the extra boost to strength and speed from Rage, Nathan went up the slope like hed been fired out of a cannon, using his momentum to leap atop the wall and stand next to Stella. He was barely breathing hard, and exulted in the thrill of the simulated combat.

Damn. Ive got a lot of stacking buffs to speed and movement right now, atop my already enhanced strength. This is a pretty significant change. And my [Magic Absorption] is keeping my stupidly high Stamina pool full no matter how much I spend on motion.

Stella was looking a bit frustrated by her failure to even slow him down. Lets try some [Natural Magic]. She zapped him again, this time with a more significant burst of electricity.

It stung, but [Improved Antimagic] also seemed to protect against Stellas new skills. The electricity was still magical enough that he was mostly protected, though he picked up some faint electrical burns that healed almost instantly.

Stella grinned at the sight, pleased at her display of power. Then she rocked back and forth, considering. Ill need to be careful with that when youre on the battlefield. Cant blast away with abandon anymore.

Nathan scoffed. I can survive and recharge regardless. That [Natural Magic] is powerful enough, but so long as you dont strike me directly itll be fine. But when you do hit me directly, maybe dont use it.

She nodded. We both need to practice with our new skills. You were moving like a Stalker fleeing a fireball. Stella gestured down into the courtyard. Now mimic that Stalker and vanish. I want to practice this new magic more. Go practice your other new skills with Aarl and Khachi. Unless you would teach me more magic? She had a hopeful gleam in her eye, but Nathan shook his head and hopped off the wall, using [Slow Fall] to make the twenty-foot drop no more impactful than stepping off a staircase.

Shes pushing pretty hard for new magic - and I promised to teach her more. I want to make sure her fundamentals are solid on light before we move on to plasma. Maybe I should ask her if there are other kinds of mana she wants to figure out next. Im curious how I would do void or shadow - theyre both an absence, which seems hard to explain scientifically. Maybe I go over the ideal gas law to help with air mana?

Nathan shook his head to clear his thoughts as he approached the other melee-oriented members of the Heirs. He raised a hand in greeting as they broke off from their latest spar. Down to help me try out some of my new class skills?

Aarl raised one sarcastic eyebrow, We saw you with Stella. Need more help than that?

Shrugging, Nathan grinned back innocently. Well, one of my new skills says I will be faster, hit harder and be more skilled at unarmed combat. Hard to test that with Stella.

The [Master of Many Weapons] shrugged and stepped forward to square off against Nathan. Well, this sounds like a nemesis for me to slay. He drew a pair of unenchanted practice sabers.

Over the course of a couple of rounds of sparring, it became clear that Nathans melee capability had taken a massive step forward. He was more certain of his motions and they flowed more smoothly, as if Nathan had been practicing each block and transition for decades instead of only a few months.

He still wasnt winning against Aarl, but that was because most of the lanky swordsmans skills focused on melee combat. Nathans style of rapid and unconventional movements was continuing to develop, aided by [Strenuous Agility].

I kind of wish Id tried Capoeira, since it seems like it would translate nicely. Well, I've seen some videos, lets use that [Enhanced Memory] and see what I can learn.

At that thought, he started to incorporate more handsprings and fanning kicks into his style. It was all about the continuous motion to push more power through movements, and Nathan was getting better and better at controlling and utilizing his bodys momentum.

Mid-tier Tumbling 8 achieved!

Im going to try using my Rage now," Nathan cautioned.

Aarl stepped back, wiping sweat from his forehead. You werent already?

Nathan smirked back, feeling satisfied. Not yet. Then he immersed himself in the thrill of the fight and resumed the spar. Hed gotten more comfortable using his Rage in practice - the Development of [Focused Mind] to [Battle Meditation] had dramatically increased his control without neutering his power.

This time the fight was much more even, and Nathans incredible strength overpowered Aarls defense. The wiry fighter switched his style, not blocking Nathan nearly as often and focused on controlling the range. In the span of an eyeblink he switched to wielding heavier weapons with longer reach, buying more space.

But it was hard for him to match Nathans mobility and speed, and Nathan powered through a hit from the unenchanted greatsword to punch his friend in the ribs, sending Aarl flying backwards with the crunch of bone.

Nathan shook himself, aware of just how much strength had been behind that blow. He hadnt really meant it to be that powerful - but he had so many stacking modifiers atop an already superhuman strength that it was hard for him to remember how much force was behind each blow.

And the Rage doesnt help.

But Khachi was already healing Aarl, who was getting to his feet as he wiped away a blood-flecked froth.

He coughed once, then spoke, In a real fight I think Id just pull out the shotgun. Youre the match of any fighter of your level when you Rage, Nathan. Though with enchanted weapons that might change. Youd have to respect my blows.

Nathan nodded at the comment. It was possible this was bad practice, since he was getting used to just accepting blows in order to land hits. Even sharpened weapons backed up by skills failed to do much more than cause minor gashes that healed over in moments - they had to be enchanted to really hurt him, and those weapons would quickly lose their magic after they hit Nathan a few times.

I wonder if my new [Improved Antimagic] will help protect me from enchanted weapons too. That would be cool. But I dont want to destroy an expensive weapon to test it. Lets let our enemies do that.

They sparred a few more times with Nathan trying to pretend Aarls weapons were enchanted, and Khachi helping to call out whenever Aarl would have gotten a debilitating hit in. It was definitely a different experience - Aarls build shone and Nathan was unable to get past Aarls incredible variety of attacks without getting tagged at least once.

I do need to keep in mind that Ill usually get hit closing the distance to a melee fighter. I just need to hope that all of my defensive enhancements and [Perfected Body] will let me shrug off whatever they can do. I need to protect my head and neck, really.

After he was done, Nathan directed his attention to Khachi. I remember the first time we sparred. Do you remember? When you shield-bashed me hard enough to break my jaw. Nathan spread his arms wide, invitingly. Well, wanna spar?

Khachi looked at him with ill-disguised unease on his face. I might prefer to avoid raising the past in such a way.

Nathan was about to press him - he wanted to practice ways to get around a large shield like the one that Khachi bore. But Khachi was saved by Stellas voice from atop the wall.

Hang on, I think theres a situation. Theres an all-adventurer call not too far from here. A team spotted some magical constructs advancing on Tarren She frowned, clearly parsing another [Message]. Then she swallowed. Theyve been tentatively identified as Old Gemore war-constructs.

Wonder if somebody woke a dungeon on Delve day and didnt report it.

Status of Nathan Lark:

Permanent Talent 1: Magic Absorption 9

Permanent Talent 2: Perfected Body 3

Talent 3: High-tier Slow Fall 7

Class: Implacable Antimage level 88

Stamina: 2820/2940

Antimages Impassivity

Antimagic Momentum

Raging Thrill

Implacable Inertia

Unarmored Resilience

Improved Antimagic

Strenuous Agility

Hand-to-hand Expertise

Utility skills:

Battle Meditation 3

High-tier Earnestness 8

Mid-tier Sprinting 10

High-tier Spellsense 8

High-tier Notice 2

High-tier Identify 2

High-tier Dodging Footwork 1

High-tier Enhanced Memory 7

Mid-tier Lecturing 7

Mid-tier Tumbling 8