Sarah and Khachi ca over, looking down at Nathan sprawled in his chair. Sarah looked unamused. “What?”
He shrugged from the seated position. “I’m tired. And I’ve already broken the magic in this chair, no need to spread it around. I hereby claim this chair for my butt, since it won’t shape itself to any others.”
Khachi snorted, and sat down on a couch across from Nathan. He leaned back and set his armored sabatons on the low - and delicately carved - table between them with a scrape of tal.
We’re really not being very careful with this place. I guess knowing that we’ll be departing before too long ans we don’t feel like we need to take care of it. That’s probably fine.
Nathan shook his head of the distraction, looking up at Sarah. “Well, go on and sit down. I want to ask about my class Developnt.”
Sarah raised her eyebrows, watching Nathan as she sat next to Khachi. “I admit I’m blasphemously curious. What will you share with us?”
Nathan considered for a mont. Paraphrasing and explaining his options would help him conceptualize them, and it wasn’t like he had a ton of secrets left from the Heirs. So he got started. “I have four options.”
Khachi rumbled in satisfaction. “Good. It is common to receive fewer choices as you reach higher levels, depending on your Insights and deeds. Aarl said he had three options. I had two, though my choice was clear. Stella was an anomaly.”
Yeah, she had like six. But about half of them were my fault, so…
Sarah waved Khachi to silence, beckoning for Nathan to continue.
“The first leans into my [Regeneration]. Says it will make nearly unkillable and much stronger, but I don’t think it will enhance my antimagic very much, or my mobility.
“The second will make better at absorbing mana for Stamina, and make generally stronger and faster, as well as help use all kinds of weapons.” He nodded at Sarah.
She pursed her lips. “Will it enable you to wield enchanted weapons?”
Nathan shook his head. “I don’t think so. I have a Developnt of [Magic Absorption] coming up, I could probably make it more selective then.”
“What occurs?” Aarl walked up, sitting down a little farther away as he wiped his hands on a cloth.
Khachi beckoned him to a seat. “Nathan speaks of his level 81 Developnts. Since he has no ntor, we will give him advice.”
Stella had followed Aarl, and she harrumphed at having to drag over another of the comfortable couches to be included in their little circle. After a mont she gave up pulling on the heavy furniture and flicked it over with a force spell. Then she looked up. “Our parents already gave him advice. What did they say?”
Sarah answered. “Mobility, survivability and stealth. Do any of your classes grant stealth?”
Nathan waved them to silence. “Let finish going through it. [Woundless Berserker] is resilience and strength. [Manadrinker Einherjar] is better magic absorption, general physical enhancents and weapons. The next one is [Magicsunder Siegebreaker], and it’s about breaking enchantnts and going through buildings. Generally being unstoppable.
“The last one is [Implacable Antimage], and it seems like the best one to . Better antimagic while raging, better mobility and enhancent to hand-to-hand combat ability.”
Sarah leaned forward, pulling out a knife and her current whittling project - a little replica of the dungeon they were currently underneath. “What in a muckgrabber’s slimy asshole is an Einherjar?”
Her brother gave Sarah the side eye for her language, but she was unconcerned.
Nathan shrugged. “Sothing from Earth. Legendary warriors of one of our Pantheons. They’re famous for being excellent fighters and going into Rages.”
Also all dead. Being an Einjerjar is sort of an afterlife for those who died in battle. Collected by Valkyries and all that. I wonder if Davrar is trying to tell sothing. Probably not?
Stella pointed at Nathan, a spark of lightning on her finger drawing his attention. “Your choice should depend on your future plans, and ours. Will you stay with us? Will you fight Giantsrest on your own? If you want to fight on your own, your choice should be [Implacable Antimage].”
Khachi picked up the thread of conversation, frowning at Stella’s remark. “But we have sworn our Oaths together. You must consider your role within the Heirs. [Woundless Berserker] is excellent for one who would draw the enemy’s ire, stand alone and unsupported while the rest of us slay the foe. [Manadrinker Einherjar] would do best with our support, granting you continual magic and relying on us to create openings for your weapons. If you wish to kill the enemy, such a class seems well-suited for it.”
Aarl pulled out one of his sabers, and started to polish it to have sothing to do with his hands. “You wanted to be able to fight larger foes, monsters and other fighters. [Manadrinker Einherjar] seems the best path to that. Sarah and I can teach you weapons, and provide unenchanted versions. The strength you gain from this class will an that lacking enchantnts is no blood from our wounds. And then you can Develop your Talent to allow you wield enchanted items, and share in the loot you help us collect.
Stella had pulled out her braid from the back of her robes, running her fingers over the entwined hairs as she waited for Aarl to finish his point. “And [Magicsunder Siegebreaker] seems built to kill dungeons. If we want to stop the Ending of history by clearing countless dungeons, then that class is good.” She paused, looking up and making eye contact with Nathan, trying very hard to communicate she didn’t have expectations. “This choice is less about what option is best, and more about what option you want.”
A knife stuck point-first into the table as Sarah stabbed it down with exasperation. “Harpy’s tits. There is a best choice here. Nathan is an Antimage. He kills mages and destroys magic, we take care of everything else. It would be a waste to Develop [Magic Absorption] to let him wield enchanted weapons. Should he be a second-tier fighter who is hard to hurt with magic, or a complete counter to all magic?
She continued, seemingly frustrated at all of them. “This choice is Nathan’s. And while the other choices may make Nathan more dependent on us, [Implacable Antimage] is the option that will let him topple Giantsrest and their magics. He ans to do that, and we might not follow him. That’s ok. But we cannot hamper him in that quest because we are afraid for him.”
Sarah looked around at the other Heirs. “It is ti to speak of this. I do not want to fight Giantsrest. I will defend myself if they attack us. But I do not want to go to Giantsrest to topple them. Not even as a ga.” She turned and looked at Nathan, heaving a sigh and bowing her head. “Sorry.”
He nodded, scrubbing a hand through his hair. “Yeah. It’s unreasonable to expect you to attack Giantsrest. I don’t have to fear most of what they can do. But I really can’t judge you for not wanting to directly challenge them - the consequences can be so much worse than death.”
I hoped… but this shouldn’t be a surprise. I’m disappointed by this, but I really couldn’t have expected it to go any other way. I might be able to use [Earnestness] to encourage them, but I'm not going to do that. I promised not to, for one thing. It would be a dick move, for another.
Nathan gave an expansive shrug, looking up at the Heirs. They were clearly trying to gauge his reaction. But they weren’t disputing what Sarah had said. Aarl looked relieved, Stella looked hesitant and Khachi was frowning and considering his position.
I do think if any of them would co with , it would be Khachi.
He addressed all of them without anger. “What I’ve said about giving to friends and not expecting things in return. I ant that. I am really not trying to play the long ga to manipulate you into fighting Giantsrest with . I won’t lie - I was hoping that eventually you might agree to do it. But part of friendship is respecting people’s decisions. And I respect your decision not to fight Giantsrest.”
High-tier Earnestness 8 achieved!
There was a mont of silence as the Heirs digested his statent.
It was broken by Khachi. “I am glad to hear as much. I respect your goals, Nathan Lark, and will light a fla for your success. I - we - will do what we can to help prepare you for your conflict with Giantsrest. For now, this is helping you choose an effective class, and helping you level. And assuring you that you are a mber of the Heirs, no matter if you leave our company for a ti to topple an evil empire.”
Nathan t his eyes. “Is there any other kind of empire? Maybe we can all team up to take on Agmon afterwards.”
Aarl rolled his eyes dramatically. “If you want to topple Agmon, [Magicsunder Siegebreaker] is probably the best. They’ve got enchanted fortifications that surpass this outpost. Imagine trying to take this place if it was defended by Agmon legionaries?”
Ok, that does sound pretty rough, even if I can fly.
But the [Master of Many Weapons] wasn’t done, “However, my sister is right. For fighting Giantsrest on your own, [Implacable Antimage] is best.”
Nathan looked towards Stella, eyebrows raised. She’d been pretty quiet ever since Sarah blew up. She looked apprehensive more than anything.
Maybe she feels the most doubt about telling no. I’ve taught her so much, but all that does is paint a bigger target on her from Giantsrest’s perspective.
She tried to speak, then swallowed to wet her throat and gave him a weak smile. “Sorry.” She paused, searching for words to soften the blow. “I might be convinced to destroy Giantsrest if you teach magic that would let do it.”
Nathan tilted his head from side to side. “I’m fine with killing all the mages of Giantsrest. I’d rather not kill everybody else there too.”
Stella squinted at him. “So you do have Insights that would let blow up Giantsrest. Can I learn them anyway?”
Nathan shook his head. “The more I teach you, the more Giantsrest will try to capture you. You know that, right?”
She waved dismissively. “They’d like to capture us all anyways. As trophies if nothing else. This doesn’t change much. And besides, the more magic I know, the better I can defend myself.”
Fair enough. I can trust my friends to take care of themselves. And I need to plan to be without their support when I do eventually take on Giansrest. That tilts my opinion farther towards [Implacable Antimage].
He looked towards her. “Do you need to be able to blow up a city? That’s about all so of those Insights are good for."
She threw her arms wide, clearly happy to be in more comfortable territory. “It’s a nice option to have around your neck! When you need to blow up a city, it’s too late to learn. Besides, it would also let blow up dungeons, right?”
She’s got a point. Still not convinced teaching her nuclear physics is a good idea. Lasers are a good next step.
Nathan sniffed at the air, slling a faint burning scent. “Is… sothing on fire?”
“The food!” Aarl jumped to his feet, running back into the kitchen, Stella close on his heels.
—
The food was still edible, and the Heirs settled into the comfortable suite with relish. The beds were also enchanted, so Nathan camped out on the carpet with his bedroll, while Aarl and Sarah took one bed and Khachi took the other. He and Stella had played a ga of sword-spear-ax and she’d lost, so she was sleeping on the largest couch in the suite room.
Nathan kept thinking about his class choices, but didn’t bring them up with the Heirs again. He had gotten their advice, now he needed to reflect on it, and the advice he’d gotten earlier from Artha and the Guardians.
He was pretty certain he wanted to just take [Implacable Antimage], but wanted to give himself so more ti to reconsider, see if any potential inspirations struck. He went through his existing Talents and skills, thinking about how Developnts of each would integrate with the various class choices. Still, [Implacable Antimage] ca out on top. It would work best with the high-mobility style he was planning, and would tie in well with any future Developnts of his Antimagic.
The next day, the Heirs thoroughly explored the outpost and the surrounding area. Nathan had been expecting more - armories inside the walls, another subterranean section. But really it looked like the control room and the suite were the only portions that had been designed with people in mind. Even the towers were more solid blocks of enchantnt and ammunition, without more than a maintenance accessway for people to see their interior.
There wasn’t even a gatehouse - just four solid stone walls that looked out over this barren and cratered section of valley. It was a nice view at least, and Nathan spent so ti on watch, just in case the signal from the reactor had gone out and sothing was going to try and evict them.
But, nothing happened. Soon enough the Heirs retired to their rest.
Dinner was better, and Nathan settled in again to consider his class Developnt from all angles, and hopefully make a final decision.
This definitely feels like one of the more significant decisions I’ll make. No, scratch that. The most significant decision I made was to oppose Taeol, back in the very beginning. Even if that was more of a necessary consequence of my moral stance on things, and not a real decision.
Nathan thought about the future Developnts of the different class options, and which ones sounded the most appealing. Ultimately, the ones most focused on the most unique thing about him - his antimagic - won out. And those were also coming from [Implacable Antimage].
Again and again he was coming to the conclusion that [Implacable Antimage] was best.
After ditating and finding that he was calm and centered on the topic, Nathan decided that he’d given the matter enough consideration. He was unlikely to change his mind, and selected [Implacable Antimage].
Congratulations, you are now an [Implacable Antimage]. Three of your existing class skills have developed, and you have unlocked three new class skills! These skills are tied to your parent class, and their power will increase with your level in that class. Davrar applauds your choice, and hopes you will continue to survive and prosper.
Class skill Stamina ->Deepened Stamina:
You have exceeded your stamina maximum many tis. Your Stamina capacity is tripled. Stamina will accumulate during periods of rest, and can be spent to improve the speed and strength of your movents, or used for other skills or Talents that utilize stamina.
Class skill Juggernaut's Wrath ->Antimage’s Impassivity:
Pain and injury will only drive you further onwards, and you will have resistance to mind-affecting skills while Raging. Being attacked with magic will enhance the intensity of your Rage.
Class skill Antimagic Montum:
Motion enhances your inherent antimagic, allowing you to break magical effects with your movents and blows. The greater the montum behind the motion, the greater the enhancent. Effect is further enhanced while Raging.
Class skillRaging Thrill:
You can voluntarily enter and exit a Rage state, where you will be imrsed in the thrill of combat. This will rapidly consu stamina, but will greatly increase your strength, speed and resilience to damage.
Class skill Juggernaut's Inertia -> Implacable Inertia:
Your motions carry significantly greater montum, and any attempt to slow your movent is hindered. Magical effects will be almost completely unable to change your velocity.
Class skillUnarmored Resilience:
When not wearing armor your body becos more resilient to damage from all sources.
New Class skill Improved Antimagic:
While Raging, your antimagic Talent is greatly enhanced, and will be especially effective at protecting you from hostile magic.
New Class skillStrenuous Agility:
You will move more quickly and easily, especially when reorienting your body in combat. Stamina spent on mobility will have a greater effect.
New Class skill Hand-to-hand Expertise:
You will be faster, hit harder and be more skilled at unard combat.
You have leveled up to level 88!
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: 886/2940
Antimage’s Impassivity
Antimagic Montum
Raging Thrill
Implacable Inertia
Unarmored Resilience
Improved Antimagic
Strenuous Agility
Hand-to-hand Expertise
Utility skills:
Battle ditation 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 mory 7
Mid-tier Lecturing 7
Mid-tier Tumbling 7
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