Heretic Spellblade 3

by Robertson, K. D.

  “Let’s go,” Sureev said, and led them away.

  They walked to the elevators. Given the size of the Spires, there were many of them. They came in all shapes and sizes.

  Sureev waved the Champions into a larger one, before stepping into a small one with Nathan.

  A door made from steel lattice closed, and the elevator began to rise in a series of loud thunks. Nathan hated the noise these contraptions made. They ran on some ancient combination of magical batteries and mechanical instruments that were built into the Spires.

  “How can you talk to her like that?” Sureev asked suddenly.

  “Astra, you mean?”

  “Who else?” he snapped, then calmed down. He brushed down his suit and mumbled an apology. “She can destroy us in an instant. But you talk down to her like she’s just… a woman.”

  Nathan decided not to correct Sureev’s personality problems. He wasn’t here to play psychologist or get involved with whatever issues the ambassador had with women.

  “I spent a long time taking orders without questioning them. Sometimes doing very stupid things, and making dumb mistakes,” Nathan said. “It never led anywhere, as you know.”

  Sureev nodded slowly. “Your father’s reputation precedes him.”

  Nathan let the misunderstanding linger, as he had intended to deceive Sureev into thinking of his false past.

  “Blindly accepting the order of things due to power, nobility, or influence didn’t help me,” Nathan said. “If I didn’t stop letting people walk all over me, I wonder if I ever would have learned how to stand back up.”

  His life in his original world had led nowhere. When he had realized that Kadria was recruiting him, he had confronted that reality. At some point, he had stopped trying to make a difference and accepted the inevitable. Even at the end, when he had chosen death over trying to find another way out. He’d nearly repeated that mistake in this world, when confronted by Vera.

  Breaking that cycle was hard.

  “I didn’t expect those words from you,” Sureev said slowly.

  “Tell me something I haven’t heard.” Nathan chuckled.

  Surprisingly, Sureev did as well. Then he nodded. Slowly at first, then rapidly. “Maybe you’re right. I’ll think on them.”

  The lift came to a stop. Sureev led him and the others to their rooms. Afterward, the ambassador left. He had to meet with the Council and the dark elf Bastions.

  The bedrooms were palatial. This time, Nathan had the room fit for a princess. The bed was large enough to contain an entire harem at once.

  As if to prove that point, all four women jumped on it.

  “Nathan, can you make a bed like this back home?” Fei asked dreamily, as she sank into the covers.

  “I can see it being very useful,” Narime said. Her six silver tails fanned out across the bed without touching any of the others. “Very, very useful. The things we could do on this…”

  Ciana’s face reddened as she watched Fei’s and Narime’s expressions turn from dreamy to lewd. The unicorn remained pure, but only physically. Her mind wandered far too much for Nathan to really call her pure of mind.

  “Can you wait five seconds before you fuck?” Seraph said. “The bed is very nice, though. Your room is obscenely huge. If you’ve been here before—”

  Nathan cut her off and cast wards on the room. She waited patiently for him to finish.

  “Why didn’t you make a bedroom like this before? Huge bed to line everybody up at once, lots of space to stretch out afterward, a bathroom the size of a house. Seems rather obvious to me,” Seraph said.

  “That’s a lot of wasted magical energy and effort. My bedroom is large enough. And I’ve already made the bed pretty damn large.” Nathan frowned. He had increased its size twice this year.

  Once for Narime’s tails, and a second time in anticipation of when Fei, Sunstorm, and Sen finally organized that foursome they chatted about from time to time.

  The topic moved away from Nathan’s bed. They talked about the trip and other matters for some time. Food arrived, and the beastkin poked at the potted fish, blanched vegetables, and baked foods they received.

  “Almost everything is preserved in the Spires,” Nathan explained.

  “I heard about that,” Ciana said, eyes wide. “A book suggested it was because they worry about sieges, or being cut off.”

  “Or maybe it’s a cultural thing, given they used to be slaves under the faeries. Food would have been scarce for them,” Narime said. “A lot of popular food in Kurai was due to how hard it was to grow certain foods.”

  Whatever the reason for their selection of dishes, there wasn’t enough food to feed two famished beastkin. Dark elves had brought the food, but they vanished afterward.

  Nathan knew his way around the Spires, however. He tracked down the kitchen and badgered the human servants. They stared at him in amazement. It didn’t take long to convince them to serve up more food now, and to send much larger amounts in the future.

  Okay, maybe it did take a while. Nathan had to bring Fei over and demonstrate her ability to inhale entire plates of food.

  The night passed as Nathan expected it to. Fei and Narime took turns in his bedroom, as neither were that comfortable with each other yet. Pressing a buxom catgirl against his curvy, fluffy fox would take a little longer.

  “Shouldn’t we have been called to do something? Where’s Sureev?” Narime asked the next day as they played chess.

  They had their own common room. Nobody bothered them, and the servants kept their distance. Nathan suspected the entire floor was empty save for them. This was a room for guests and visitors, after all. How many could there be?

  All the rooms were bedrooms, meeting rooms, kitchens, and the like. The idea was that visitors stayed on the one floor unless escorted elsewhere.

  “He visited around dawn,” Nathan said. “Mentioned that the Council is currently considering another important matter.”

  “Which is?” Narime raised an eyebrow.

  “He didn’t say. He’s the ambassador, not our friend. Although he did appear to be frustrated by whatever it was.”

  “That sounds bad.”

  “Very,” he said. He checkmated Narime, and she glared at him.

  “You should have brought your shogi pieces,” he said with a shrug.

  “I assumed we’d be busier than this,” she said. “You talk up how I’m your strategist, but it kind of hurts to lose to you so often.”

  “It’s only chess.” He laughed. “If being good at chess let you win wars and battles, the entire recruitment process for Bastions would change.”

  “Yet you keep winning.”

  “How many days do you think I’ve wasted like this?” he asked her.

  She remained silent.

  “The answer is a lot. Being buried in paperwork allows me to lose myself in my duty. The rest of the time, I play games,” he explained.

  “Have you tried thinking less?” Narime proposed.

  “You sound like Sen.”

  The fox raised an eyebrow. “Maybe I’ll spend more time around her then. Perhaps we can come up with some ways to get you out of your office more often.”

  The rest of the day passed in monotony. Overnight, a storm blew in. The Spires didn’t have windows. Instead, they had black steel railings and shutters along the outside. A fair bit of the rain got in. Their view outside turned into a solid gray wall of mist.

  “How come the mist isn’t coming inside?” Ciana asked him.

  She stretched next to him and Fei. Physical training was important, as it helped Ciana acclimate to the energies from the binding stone. Fortunately, she favored an endurance enchantment, so training her was simple.

  “The tower is warded,” Nathan explained.

  “Are we in the clouds?” Fei asked.

  “Maybe?” He shrugged. “I don’t know. We’re close to the mountains and high up. It’s possible. It could just be the weather, though.”

 
“I thought you knew everything,” the catgirl whined.

  “If I knew everything, things would be a lot different,” he drawled.

  Ciana giggled. “Oh? How different? Would you be Emperor Nathan, with a harem of beastkin worshipping every inch of your body?”

  Fei broke down into giggles as well, and he ignored them. He felt that Fei was a bad influence on Ciana.

  On the other hand, she was much more open than she’d ever been in his world. He appreciated seeing her like this. She was adorable.

  When another day passed without anything happening, Nathan decided to investigate. Sureev didn’t visit him on the third day. That boded poorly.

  Leaving this floor was dangerous but Nathan had an excuse. Someone he could visit who would cover for him, so long as he made it to her room. The problem was ensuring she was there.

  “You know Astra’s schedule?” Narime remarked. “That’s creepy.”

  “Very creepy,” Seraph agreed.

  “If I asked you to write down my daily schedule, how accurate do you think it would be?” he asked them.

  “Given you rarely leave your office except when we drag you out of it, that hardly counts,” Seraph countered.

  He shook his head. “Astra is a creature of habit. So long as there isn’t an invasion taking place, or anything else that needs her attention, she’ll be in the same place every day. That’s either her bedroom, one of the training grounds, or the bars. We’ll be caught by guards before we get close to the last two, but her bedroom is on a floor that is lightly guarded during the day.”

  “Why?” Seraph was incredulous.

  “She’s the only important person on the floor. Did you miss the part where everybody is intimidated by her?”

  They made their way to the elevators. Nathan cast wards and gestured to Narime to do her part. Her tails shifted behind her in a complex pattern as she used magic to investigate the tower.

  “Are you sure you shouldn’t do this?” Narime said.

  “I can’t cast a ward and a spatial detection spell at the same time. I’ve been helping you with ascended magic for months now, for this reason,” he said.

  She said something unkind about him and his training, which he ignored.

  Then her eyes snapped wide open, and she gestured to Nathan wildly. He realized what she meant and began walking past the elevators. The others followed.

  A moment later, two dark elves rounded the corner. One of them was very familiar.

  Nathan met eyes with her. He growled, “Nurevia!”

  The duogem Champion froze, before placing a hand against her hip and sticking out her tongue. “Oh? It’s little Nathan? What are you doing here? Did you give up on playing Bastion and decide to become somebody’s pet? I heard Astra was looking for a new toy to break.”

  Snarls rose in response to her jab. Nathan stomped toward her. The dark elf man next to Nurevia backpedaled, raising his hands in surrender. He wore fine robes and a badge of office that indicated he worked for the Council of Aurelia.

  Everything about this stank of Tharban’s meddling.

  “You shouldn’t be here,” Nathan said, looming over Nurevia. “You have no place here.”

  “I’m a dark elf. I belong here a lot more than your pasty ass,” Nurevia spat.

  “Don’t lie. I don’t know what favor you called in, or from who, but the Spires don’t welcome you,” he said. “What bullshit are you up to for Tharban?”

  The other dark elf panicked, his eyes widening and pupils shrinking. He looked around for help, but found none. This floor was devoid of guards.

  “This is cute, but we both know you’re not going to do shit.” Nurevia sneered at him. “Walk away, little boy. You aren’t your daddy.”

  His hand snapped out and grabbed her arm. She gasped.

  “I don’t care about Tharban. But you and your friend are up to something that I’m pretty sure is treason,” Nathan said.

  Nurevia’s amethysts flashed.

  Instantly, he jumped backward. The dark elf fled. Seraph and Fei stepped between him and Nurevia, their own gems flashing. Flames appeared over Fei’s arms.

  “Enough!” Nathan boomed. He injected magic into his voice.

  The non-humans covered their ears, including Nurevia.

  “Fuck,” she swore. “I think I just found another thing I’m not into. Ears and aural pain are not my fetish.”

  “I don’t care,” Nathan said. He ran a hand through his hair. “Fucking hell, Nurevia. The fuck are you doing here? Astra let you in, and you’re fucking with the alliance between the Spires and the Empire? She’ll rip you limb from limb when she finds out.”

  The dark elf Champion froze, her purple eyes shrinking to pinpricks. After a few moments, she started breathing again.

  “I know you’re fishing, but damn,” she said. “You’re better at this than I expected. Still, you’re not getting anything out of me like this. Like I said, you’re not going to touch me. I put those scars on your body, little Nathan. That’s what power is.”

  He stared at her for several moments before it clicked. Anger simmered within him, but he ignored it. The Nathan Straub from this world had been tormented by Nurevia.

  But he was much, much stronger than her.

  “Narime, you’ve mapped the Spires. How many minutes do you think we have before guards arrive?” he asked, turning to face the fox.

  She stared at him in confusion. Then comprehension crossed her face and she smirked. “Oh. More than enough time to break a pouty little dark elf in.”

  “Well then.” Nathan clicked his fingers. “Why don’t you start, Fei? Or maybe you want to, Seraph? I’ll leave it to you.”

  Vicious grins crossed the faces of his Champions. Although this was an act intended to intimidate Nurevia, he doubted all of their hatred toward Nurevia was feigned.

  She was a bitch, after all. But Nathan knew that she acted this way was so that people hurt her, because she got off on it.

  Nurevia’s eyes widened. When Fei’s arm lit up with fire, the dark elf stared at the bright blue flames, transfixed.

  “Oh,” Nurevia said.

  Unfortunately—or perhaps fortunately—a newcomer interrupted them. They heard footsteps and Fei banished her flame.

  Astra rounded the corner swiftly. Her eyes narrowed at the scene.

  Before anybody said anything, Nathan seized the initiative.

  “Astra, can I ask you for a favor?” he said, deciding to gamble on a hunch. Nurevia and Astra went back a long way, but he knew they were estranged for some reason.

  “Of course,” Astra purred, her eyes boring into Nurevia.

  The younger dark elf Champion shrunk in on herself. Neither Nathan nor Nurevia had ever heard Astra sound like that before.

  “Can you punch Nurevia for me?” he asked.

  A sickening crack filled the hallway. Nurevia collapsed to the ground, blood streaming from her nose. She groaned loudly, but didn’t try to get up.

  “Anything else?” Astra asked, staring down at her supposed friend with an odd look in her eyes.

  Nathan gulped. “Did you want to make a time to talk? The Council appears to be busy right now.”

  Now it was time for his body to be torn apart by Astra’s gaze. After several long seconds, she nodded.

  “It is important. Tonight. Do not bring them.” Astra gestured at his Champions with her head. Then she thought of something else. “Bring alcohol.”

  With those words, the legendary trigem Champion swept away, leaving Nurevia bleeding on the ground.

  “I think it’s time for an interrogation,” Nathan said. “Maybe we’ll find out why the Council isn’t talking to us.”

  Nurevia tried to muster up a glare, but it looked more like she wanted him to fuck her.

  Nathan wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. For now, he asked Fei to carry the dark elf back to his room. Narime, Seraph, and Ciana followed quietly, although he didn’t miss the fact that Ciana was oddly quiet. />
  Chapter 19

  “You suck at healing,” Nurevia spat at Narime.

  The fox ignored the jab and continued holding her glowing hands against Nurevia’s jaw. “Do you want me to stop?”

  “Stop being shit, maybe.” The dark elf winced when Narime pulled away, and a curse escaped her lips. “Is this the magical equivalent of a band-aid?”

  “For you,” Narime said. “It’s like a regeneration spell. The regeneration and enhancements of your gems interfere with it.”

  Something clicked in Nathan’s mind. “You’re using a form of life magic.”

  Narime gave him an odd look. “Not quite. Altering life itself is impossible for mystic foxes. I’ve heard it described as taboo, but I don’t know why. But yes, my healing is a form of ascended magic, rather than one of the natural elements of magic.”

  Taboo, huh.

  Nathan remembered Seraph’s reaction when he had casually mentioned learning mental magic. Many disciplines of ascended magic might not be welcomed by others. Although Nathan wasn’t learning how to control minds, the possibility would scare others. And he had been experimenting with life magic in order to create food, but if Narime’s race considered it taboo, there was probably a reason.

  He made a note to be more careful when bringing up his ascended magic research.

  “This is some amazing conversation, but does nothing for putting my shattered jaw back together,” Nurevia whined. Her purple eyes glared at Nathan, who stared blandly back.

  All of them sat inside his palatial bedroom. Nurevia was bound with silk cord that Nathan had found in one of the cabinets, alongside a number of other bedroom instruments. Fei’s face had lit up when she saw the many colorful objects, but she was forbidden from playing with them—without Nathan, anyway.

  Ciana sat in the corner while Seraph leaned on the wall next to her. Fei leaned against Nathan on the bed, her hands wandering until he batted them away. Nurevia’s eyes spotted the constant attempts to play with Nathan as she sat on the floor.