Chapter 49: Chapter 49 Introduction to Witchcraft

Nathan looked at Eldred Vanguard over the table in the Adventurer’s guild, and thought quickly. Eldred had just demanded Nathan lay his Insights out so he could pick one. Nathan had a lot of Insights, some he’d used and most he hadn’t. Some were his, and some weren’t. He’d sworn to Vhala to not share the Insight behind [Notice]. The same was true for what Artha had told him to set his feet upon the Path of Rage.

Eldred did save me from getting captured by Giantsrest. But he pushed pretty hard for me to join his team, as if I didn’t have plans of my own. And he’s generally being a pushy asshole. The Heirs didn't seem to indicate they owed me a debt after I saved their lives, so I'm questioning if I really do owe as big as debt as he's claiming. I'm not in a position to push the issue, but I don’t think I want any more to do with this guy than I have to. Him demanding a list of my Insights seems pretty scummy.

Nathan had to figure out which of his Insights would buy Eldred off. He had to offer up something tempting enough that Eldred took it without forcing Nathan to spill every skill and Talent he had.

I don’t think I’ll be able to buy him off with [Spellsense] or [Dodging Footwork]. Or Earth scientific knowledge - that seems most useful to mages and crafters. And I don't want to let out dangerous information to the wrong person. What are the Insights he'd think are valuable? Probably the ones for [Magic Resistance], [Regeneration], [Focused Mind] and [Enhanced Memory]. I probably can’t share [Magic Resistance], though he might demand I start figuring out how to share it if I tell him anything about it. Shit, and that’s the one he has hints about already. Maybe I should just say it requires being injected with something alchemical that I don’t know how to make? I sort of need to operate as if he has a skill to tell if I’m lying.

Eldred was watching Nathan closely, waiting for him to answer. He started tapping his finger impatiently on his maul, lying on the table between them.

Nathan spoke. “I’ve got four real Insights that I can share. Two of them… are probably not useful to you.”

Eldred leaned back, luxuriating in the power he had here. “I’ll decide that.”

Nathan swallowed. His least favorite part of this was that it was letting out information on his capabilities. He didn’t trust Eldred not to sell that information further on somehow. But if he didn’t… Nathan looked down at the mace on the table. Eldred was an excellent one-on-one fighter. He’d beaten Artha in a duel, and had absolutely demolished Naghmen in a real fight. If he beat Nathan in a duel and claimed his debt, he might have enough social capital that most of the guild would think Nathan should join the Vanguard.

Again, stupid macho bullshit. But I’m part of their society now. If I want to use Gemore as a base in the future then I’ll need to play by their rules.

Nathan wasn’t sure what happened if you didn’t honor a debt for an Insight or a favor in the Gemore Adventurer’s guild, but he was pretty sure it was a social shunning of some sort. The Heirs probably wouldn’t completely abandon him. But it’d make everything else harder, and might have more consequences Nathan didn’t know about.

And that’s the problem. Maybe I get exiled without my belongings. Maybe nobody will talk to me. I almost certainly don’t get ‘Adventurer’ status that guarantees room and board.

So, he continued. “The best one for you is a utility skill. The big advantage is that it helps me discover other Insights and Develop Talents and skills more easily. It’s also helped me resist and break mental spells and debilitating stuff like the Grave Tangle.”

Eldred frowned. “Sounds like some mage shit. [Mental Discipline] or something like that? Though Developing things better is interesting.”

Nathan shrugged. “Not that. It’s been very helpful to me.”

Eldred waved it away. “We'll come back to it. Next?”

You are reading story Ends of Magic: Antimage LitRPG at novel35.com

With a sigh, Nathan continued. “If you don’t like that one, I doubt you’d be interested in one that made your memory better?”

Eldred pursed his lips, tilting his head back and forth. “That’s a bit better, I might be interested in how it works. Keep going. I wanna hear the one that lets a trainee not die of a surprise dungeon to the face.”

I guess I just gotta be vague.

As Nathan was trying to phrase a description of his [Magic Resistance] that didn’t hint at how broad it was, a woman slid into the bench next to him, scooting up close enough that their elbows were bumping.

Eldred looked peeved and waved her off. “We’re talking Insights here, so I’ll ask you…” He took a closer look at the woman and gulped audibly. He slid down the table to get a bit farther away from her. “Faline?”

The woman laughed like a crystal bell, sharp and piercing. Her voice was pitched high, but with a cruel and polished intent behind it. “You were demanding information you have no right to, Eldred Vanguard. Play your games elsewhere, and count yourself lucky I don’t take you to the ring right now for this. I’ve been gone a while and sometimes I find myself looking for somebody to bleed.”

“But… I saved Nathan from kidnapping. He owes me.”

Faline raised one dark, picturesque eyebrow. “I came back to Gemore tailing the Giantsrest agent who issued that job. He was going to reach out to you next with a very generous offer. But…” She laid a dagger on the table next to Eldred’s maul. The blade was red with blood along its entire length. “I found evidence that you spoke to him last month. You haven’t done any jobs for him, or else this would be a very different conversation.” She tapped a finger on the hilt of the dagger, flicking a drop of blood in Eldred’s direction. “You forfeit Nathan’s debt. Begone. Now.”

Eldred grabbed his maul and left with unseemly haste.

Nathan turned to appraise his savior. She was a beautiful woman, tall and lithe. Her clothes were a set of dark robes, loose in most places. Black leather bands were wound around her forearms, shins and midriff. Nathan’s eyes were drawn to a necklace holding a large and elaborately worked piece of silver and gems nestled just above her bosom. Her hair was long and dark, falling unbound around her face and past her shoulders. It had a few streaks of green, blue and purple scattered through it. Her skin was pale, with a dusting of freckles scattered over a classically beautiful face with high cheekbones and bright green eyes. Which glowed slightly. She winked at him, and the winking eye flickered pink for a moment.

Nathan regarded her warily, unsure what to say. After a moment he ventured, “Thank you. He’s not my favorite person.”

She let loose another peal of sharp laughter, this one less cruel than the last. Then she focused on Nathan, sitting close. “Too true. He’s not my favorite person either. Demanding an Insight after saving somebody's life is just crass. Much less a list. He's competent enough, but Eldred will never topple Giantsrest, or clear a true dungeon. He’s more of an annoyance than somebody worthy of real animosity. Who do you think is worthy of true animosity, Nathan Lark?”

I like her. Maybe because she’s using a skill on me, maybe just because she’s a goddamn bombshell who appears to have assassinated the person who arranged my kidnapping.

Nathan replied without thinking about it very hard. “Taeol dho Droxol, ninth finger and fourth researcher of the Ascendant Academy.” He twisted his mouth in disgust. “And all of the mages of Giantsrest. I’ll see their ‘empire’ torn down and their filthy mental magics gone with it, by my life or death. Nobody who casts that magic on people gets to live.”

---