Chapter 45: An Unexpected Face

Chapter 45: An Unexpected Face

Nathan barely hesitated before leaping off the edge of the cliff. The tower behind him was capable of magic on a level hed never before experienced. He didnt 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 towers spell had vaporized everything outside of his skin.

Of course it did. I dont have any spare clothes, and even if I did they would also have been vaporized. That magic vaporized every piece of gear I had.

Nathans 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. Nathans 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 didnt want to descend beneath the earth, but he also didnt want to slowly drift down in view of anybody in the valley below.

I am so curious as to whats down there, but thats not my mission. Im 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 wasnt 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 hed 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 dont 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 somebodys 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 mans 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 mans neck. Nathan brought his other hand up, feeling a chunky metal collar. A wave of revulsion swept through him.

Of course. Seems like its controlling the man. Crude, mass-produced magic to control people. Lets get this off.

A firm grip sufficed to suck the mana out of the collar, and struggling was replaced with rasping breathing. The collar didnt 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 mans 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 hes ok. I hope he can be free now. I might have sentenced him to death, I might have given him an opportunity. But Im not going to make it my problem. Im 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 couldnt sprint without it bouncing too much, but with his enhancements and level it was only a minor burden. The problem was that a slave wouldnt 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. Ive 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 dont think I should be particularly worried about the slave farmers reporting me. But I also dont 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.

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

If Im right, I need to talk to her. If Im wrong, I can always jump whoever this is later. But I dont think Im 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.

Falines 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

Antimages 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