Chapter 49: Into the Giant’s Maw

Chapter 49: Into the Giant’s Maw

Faline pointed up at the highest tower with a colored nail, indicating the very peak of the Ascendent Academy. That is where Badud is. It is not a place we can reach.

Nathan tilted his head back to look up at the central tower. It skewered the sky, surrounded by its shorter peers. It was hard to tell if it was empire state building tall or burj khalifa tall because he was lacking a frame of reference.

We cannot go into the Academy. Faline said with an air of old frustration. Magic beyond mana bars entry to those who should not be there, and ancient golems stalk the passages. The graduates speak of shifting walls and stairs that move to facilitate access to those acknowledged by the Academy. Students may only reach a certain height, and the tallest towers are restricted to the archmages and their slaves.

She chewed on her lips, sharpened teeth standing out against pink flesh. No assassins have returned from entering the Academy. We cause problems outside, then strike those who leave the building to enforce their will. Badud and the archmages are unassailable in his stronghold.

Damn, thats not great to hear. Its probably powerful wizardry. It also sounds like the building itself might have some degree of intelligence. I need to be careful about that. Im mildly regretting not taking [Antiwizard]. If I'm going to infiltrate the Academy I'm going to need to learn everything I can about Giantsrest, and rank up my stealth skills.

His brows drew together, thinking about the obstacle posed by the giant Academy. "If its so protected, why dont all of the mages live there? It looks big enough.

Access to the Academy is a privilege. Faline replied. Mages learn there, train there, but the graduates are pushed out to grow the empire. Only archmages and teachers may live within the Academy. The lecturers are marked with orange robes, and that status is sought by many who enjoy the safety and luxury of the Academy. Most archmages have rooms in the towers but maintain compounds in the city, where their households live. But many of the lecturers have not left since they first entered.

Her attention dropped down to the city that sprawled underneath the massive edifice of the Academy. Our target is there. The Academy is closed to us, but the city holds many foes. It's much easier to hide in.

Nathan almost hadnt noticed the city underneath the massive edifice, but three-and-four story buildings stretched for miles across the rolling hills, illuminated as much by the glowing magic of the academy as by the sun. Nathan caught glimpses of parks and walled compounds interspersed throughout the city. The entire city was huge, many times larger than Halsmet, though still only an tenth of the size of Old Gemore.

But thats essentially the comparison between Paris and Tokyo. Its still hundreds of thousands of people. Who am I to look at that and think Ill be able to challenge it? I decided to take down Giantsrest after Taeol tried to subjugate me. But how do we do it, short of me teaching Stella the nuke spell?

Nathan frowned at the line of thought and his attention landed on the gates that were their next obstacle. High walls stretched around the city, built from a light stone and studded with tall towers. The towers were squat constructions and clearly magical, each surrounded by an aura of enchantment that betrayed powerful weapons.

This place would be a nightmare to attack conventionally.

The gates were spaced frequently, giving access to rings of rich farmland that stretched out in all directions. There was a short killing field directly in front of the wall, but the next ring out was a series of dense gardens, then orchards of trees and finally expanses of fields. It looked like it had been meticulously planned by somebody with a birds-eye view, and a desire to place labor-intensive crops closer to the city gates.

Well, at least well have our pick of gates. Nathan said as they started towards the city, soon entering the expanse of fields.

The assassin at his side didnt answer, instead studying the fields and the walls beyond. After a second she swore. Stalker shit, they havent opened the gates. We wont be able to enter. She looked around. We should find a place to camp outside until they lift the lockdown. Id have bet stalker teeth to dragon bones theyd have opened up the city by now."

Nathan blinked at her. You cant get into the city if the gates arent opened?

I would have thought that the most elite assassin of Gemore would have an entry point that wasnt just walk through the gates, but I guess with her skills thats the most reasonable thing to do. Especially if they have powerful enchantments preventing entry everywhere else

She turned to him, eyebrows drawn down in annoyance. My skills are myriad, but I do not have the Insights of flight. Then she blinked in realization But you do. Can you bypass the wards over the walls?

He nodded. Almost certainly, and at the very worst they'll just know that somebody busted thorough them. Lets go.

She assented quickly, and they diverted into the tall stalks of grain alongside the road.

Nathan mused on the crops around him as they moved through the available cover to approach the city. The vegetation wasnt quite wheat but it was close, clearly a few thousand generations of selective breeding derived from wild grass. It was also lush and verdant, dense without a trace of weeds. The crops were planted in rough rows, which indicated theyd likely been planted with by hand means and not by magic.

They snuck through the rest of the fields without issue, passing underneath the dense cover of well-established orchards. Nathan grabbed a fruit he recognized, biting through the red skin into the juicy innards. It was like a single pomegranate seed, but scaled up to the size of his fist.

Faline shot him an amused look at the munching sounds. She chuckled deeply, then reached up to grab another of the ripe fruits dangling directly overhead. They came to a stop under the canopy of green.

A gentle wind rustled the trees, and Nathan looked back at the beautiful woman as she cocked an eyebrow at him and grinned, reddish juice running down her chin. He chuckled in return, smacking his lips as he finished the delectable fruit.

Its ridiculous, but it feels like weve struck the first blow on their territory. By stealing fruit.

Then she wiped her face and started pulling disguises out of her bag. Her own robe was the yellow of an artisan mage, while his was the green of an enslavement mage. There will be slave-soldiers on the wall, but if we move quickly and do not attack them then my skills will hide us.

Nathan changed into his robe, turning his back while Faline stripped off her own clothing.

She gave an amused grunt. Our Paths will run parallel for some time. We should become comfortable with one another.

Nathan merely shrugged as he turned around, seeing her finish fastening the robe together over her upper body. Her very shapely upper body.

He looked away, judging the distance to the wall and deciding that this was about the right place to start from. They were still a few hundred feet away, but hed practiced [Airwalking] back in Halsmet. It was much easier to ascend at an angle rather than go straight up, like climbing a staircase versus climbing a cliff. You should take off anything enchanted and hold it against your stomach.

She pursed her lips and then shrugged, tugging off various pieces of jewelry and then pulling a dozen knives from various locations, carefully sheathing the blades before sliding the enchanted items into her dimensional bag.

Nathan could tell she didnt have anything else magical on her, so he simply scooped the assassin up in a princess carry and leapt into the air, aiming for the top of the wall. He focused on speed, trying to minimize the amount of time they spent obviously visible.

Faline squeaked slightly as Nathan picked her up, quickly throwing one hand around his neck while the other held the dimensional pouch tight to her chest. She started giggling, the high-pitched noise startling as it came from the deadly assassin.

He looked down at her as they flew up towards the top of the wall. Falines long hair blew in the breeze, the streaks of color looking like sparks as they fluttered at the speed of their passage. She wasnt looking up at him, but instead watched their ascent with glee, lips parted and eyes still wide with surprise.

Wow. Shes gorgeous.

Then she caught him looking and her lips curving upwards into a smirk as she wriggled teasingly in his arms.

Nathan jerked his attention back to where it belonged, guiding their path over the wall. He could feel eyes sliding off of them and bolstered the effect with his own skills, spending Focus to deflect attention away from a pair of people zipping up and over the top of the wall in broad daylight. He tried to merge his efforts with Falines, to layer them so that anybody who saw through her barrier dismissed them as a pair of mages flying home. Even if flying over the walls was certainly not allowed.

High-tier Noticeability 3 achieved!

Then he detected the magical defenses on the wall, and Nathans attention was fully consumed in figuring out how to bypass them. Hed done this sort of thing a few times before when sneaking around in Halsmet and breaking through the wards around the army camp, but these defenses were on a different level.

Permanent Talent 3: Airwalking 3

Class: Void of Magic level297

Deepened Stamina: 7490/9210

Void of Feeling

Antimagic Momentum

Raging Thrill

Implacable Inertia

Unarmored Resilience

Magic Anathema

Airborne Agility

Hand-to-hand Expertise

Voluminous Aura

Denial of Wizardry

Mana Severance

Class: Magekiller level 119

Regenerative Focus: 976/1290

Catastrophic Blows

Battle Stealth

Mage Infiltration

Forgettable

Unsuspecting Strike

Antimagic Stealth

Spell Redirection

Lethal Index

Utility skills:

Battle Meditation 10

Inspiration 1

Acceleration 2

Wizard Senses 3

Alertness 4

Wizards Intuition 3

Effortless Dodge 1

Mental Fortress 6

Tutoring 2

High-tier Tumbling 10

High-tier Noticeability 3

Low-tier Disguise 6

Mid-tier Battle Cry 7

Mid-tier Aura Manipulation 4