Chapter 3: Chapter 3 The first discussion

Nathan didn’t have too long to wait before Taeol dho Droxol, Grand Dimension Archmage of Giantsrest, came back. He heard the door being unbarred, heralding Taeol waddling in and sliding into the other chair. He was wearing a new robe, still in orange. It was embroidered with gold thread in patterns that could be magical, but were certainly decorative. A man-sized stone statue in the same khaki marble followed him in, bearing a wooden slab covered in food.

The golem set the food down in the middle of the table and withdrew to stand in front of the door. Taeol shook his robes back from his hands and dug in, slapping preserved meats onto soft cheeses and dipping them in fragrant sauces. He smacked his lips appreciatively, and gestured for Nathan to follow suit.

As Nathan tentatively nibbled on the luxurious fare, Taeol began lecturing, continuing to eat while doing so. “When I scried upon your world, I beheld marvels made common. Buildings taller than the clouds, metal travelling devices that flew faster than any bird. Ships the size of islands. And wonder of wonders, all without magic. Imagine what could be done by combining such knowledge with magic! I tailored my spell to summon one of receptive mind with expertise in your ‘science’. I know you know the secrets behind such things. First, and most important for planning, what is your class?” He was looking at Nathan expectantly, and gestured with what looked like a pickled chicken leg to answer his question.

“I’m sorry, but classes? What do you mean, I don’t think those exist where I come from.”

Taeol’s jaw dropped, giving Nathan an unfortunate view of his latest bite. He sprayed some of it across the platter as he spoke. “You cannot be serious. But you are! No classes and still your world achieves such things. I expect a vein of gold and find it instead to be of oricalchum! But no matter - surely you’ve received some kind of message from Davrar about classes, all people in this world do as soon as they can understand. Just think about your abilities and Davrar should grant you information in some way that makes sense to you. You have seen such a thing, haven’t you?”

Nathan tentatively nodded, and Taeol grinned hugely. “Excellent. We shall begin by making you my personal apprentice. We will start with initial training in basic mana shaping to unlock the Talent, the mage class and your mana pool. Then we can speed along the basic enslavement mage progression, as it is the fastest mental magic class to level if you have the resources. There are mental spells that allow directly imparting knowledge to another, and I would have you master them as soon as possible. Then it will be possible to impart to the necessary craftspeople your knowledge and realize the wonders of your world. I had hoped you would have a teaching class already, so you could effectively explain things, but truly mages and magic are superior to all other classes in all things. Oh, is it not wonderful that I can design your advancement? Truly perfect.”

Taeol had continued to shove food into his mouth as he spoke excitedly, and the combination of chewing while speaking and additional sprayed food turned Nathan off the platter nearly as much as Taeol’s words.

Enslavement mage?

Nathan tried to get a word in edgewise, but Taeol plowed right over him. “Of course, I must assuage my curiosity before we begin. so I will ask you questions as to how your world accomplishes these things. First, what is your full name, and how do those metal boxes move along the ground? There is no magic, but they move by themselves. What moves them?”

Nathan needed time, and information. He cast around for a good alternative subject to assuage Taeol. “My name is Nathan Lark. And I apologize for answering a question with a question, but what is Davrar? Is it the name of your world? Is there a person named Davrar granting people power? How do these classes work?”

Taeol shook his head for a second before responding. “It is understandable, I would respect curiosity about such things. Our world is called Davrar, and also it grants us the powers of Talents and all the rest. There was a series of experiments some years ago showing Davrar cannot learn, and does not change its name if you teach people to call the world something different. The scholars of renown on the subject say that Davrar is the will of the world, ensuring that thinking beings survive on its face against the horrors of monsters and Endings. One could wish it was a little more selective to civilized beings and excluded some of the barbarians and intelligent monsters from its blessing, but we can fix that oversight on our own.”

Fearing what he was going to hear, Nathan pushed more on that last point. “How will you fix it?”

Taeol turned expectant eyes from the remaining food to Nathan. “Of course, there is only one permanent solution. We must take control of their lands, and either civilize them appropriately or replace them with good stock. How else?”

So they’re not just slavers, but genociders as well. I hate that I’m glad I look like them.

Taeol pointed the chicken bone at Nathan. “I see what you’re doing boy, and I clap my palms at it. You find yourself in an unfamiliar place and wish to learn as much as you can before you make any commitments. It reminds me of myself when I was your age. But I must be clear as flawless gems, your only path here is giving me what I want. You shall do it willingly and I will raise you up to stand Ascendent in magic. Else I will dominate your mind and force you to tell me your truths. If you prove stubborn I will transfer your soul to a golem core and extract your knowledge from a screaming husk.”

Sweat broke out all over Nathan’s body, and he felt adrenaline in his veins. Taeol seemed entirely serious, and without hesitance or pity. Nathan did the only thing he could think of. He brought back the window for his pending talent, and approved it. He could probably undo it later so he could learn magic, but right now he needed all the protection he could get from a powerful mage threatening to rip out his soul.

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