Raze (The Completionist Chronicles Book 4)

by Dakota Krout

  Guild Quest accepted: The making of an Elder. You have agreed to forgo short-term rewards in order to gain a long-term position. Help the guild by building enough buildings that the town can reach town level five. Current town level: 0/5. Reward: position of an Elder when the Noble Wanderer’s Guild becomes a Sect. Failure: No reward.

  Joe looked over the quest again as he got out of bed. He was glad that he had made the deal, but he was still somewhat leery of agreeing to work now for a possible reward later. It was like an artist being asked to work for ‘exposure’. People die of exposure! Still, the reward was contained in a quest, so they would need to cough up the position when it was available. Otherwise, who knew what could happen? Bleh. It felt like a Monday when he had a regular job. He woke up with a bunch of time-restricted tasks that he needed to get done or lose a bunch of potential forward or upward momentum.

  Shuddering at the parallel he was drawing, Joe got up and got in line for coffee. He was once again greeted as ‘Elbow’, and it took a lot of effort not to drop a shadow-formed anvil on the barista’s head like a cartoon character. As he was eating his meager breakfast and drinking his cooling coffee, Jess walked over to him with a handful of people trailing behind her. “Hey, Joe! Got some hopefuls for you. These guys want to create those area-of-effect spells you make.”

  “Thanks, Jess!” Joe gestured at the table. “Sit down all. Let’s talk. I want to know why you want to join up, we will talk about expectations, and then we’ll go do a trial run.”

  He finished his coffee as the others spoke and had soon narrowed what he considered to be the actual candidates to three participants. As far as he could tell, everyone else wanted either to unlock their mana or to use his questionable fame to get ahead in the guild. Joe could understand the first, but the second was just confusing. He wasn’t concerned, as people who were just trying to get ahead were going to get scared off real quick during this next part.

  “Let’s get to it, then!” Joe stood, and the others joined him as he walked. “Listen, if you think you really want this, great, but we are going to see if you actually want it right now. We’re going to go build a building, and we shall see if you stick around. Also, I gotta tell you, mana unlocks automatically for everyone at level ten. If you can't stand pain, you might just want to wait until then to get it. Doing it this way is effective, but… yup.”

  No one left, and in fact, they had gained a person. Didn't bother Joe at all, but he did wonder what the new guy thought was going on. They met up with Mike and were directed to a pile of resources. Joe had stayed awake late into the morning to convert the blueprint he was given into a ritual, and it was time to make it happen. He only needed to add in a few more details. Joe cheerfully pulled out his survey grid and tinkered with it for a few moments. After a few false starts, he managed to create the grid over the area the storage building was scheduled to be built.

  “Neat.” Joe looked at the soft light that created a box over the area. “Is this in the correct spot?”

  Mike had an administrative person run over and check the boundaries, and Joe had to make some small adjustments. When the spot was approved, Joe touched the wand-like Survey Grid to his ritual diagram, and the positional information was automatically added. Then the laser grid shifted from a box into a translucent blue outline of what the building would look like when finished. Mike grinned at the Rituarchitect, throwing his hands into the air. “Fine! I admit it! That’s super cool! What is this, some kind of illusion magic?”

  “Probably?” Joe started collecting blood from the people who wanted to participate, giving hard looks at the ones who seemed squeamish. “Look, guys. This is the easiest part of doing what I do. You haven’t had to create, troubleshoot, or design any of this. If this is too much to ask, you can leave now with no hard feelings. You physically can't leave during the building process.”

  None of the eight left, so Joe shrugged and collected blood. “Mike, looks like I’ll need you on this again. No idea what the mana pool is gonna look like for a few people here.”

  Mike paled and looked around wildly. “No, I’m just here to make sure–”

  “Mike.”

  “Ugh, is this why Aten keeps sending me to do this?” Mike complained as his finger was pricked and a drop of blood landed in the silver chalice. “Because he knows he’ll be used as a battery if he comes? I bet it is. Next time, I’m sending a proxy, too.”

  “I’m working on solving this issue,” Joe breezily told Mike as he positioned the man on the southwest balanced position. “All set. Listen up, everyone! For those of you who are here to unlock mana, this’ll work, but you’ll still need to learn mana-based skills or spells. Those of you looking for a class, this is what it is like every time. It isn't easier as you rank up. Think on that. For anyone who came along for fun… please do come back.”

  Joe activated the ritual, and the ritual circle blazed to life. Energy flowed from the lines Joe had drawn on a chalkboard, encircling the group and lifting them into the air. Then those same lines reached into each person, drawing at their innate mana supply to keep the ritual running. The components needed for the ritual crumbled into dust and were sucked away by the swirling vortex of power, and the construction materials began to move. In just over a minute, the storehouse was completed, and the group returned to the ground.

  Three people were coated in vomit; two were unconscious. The other three were pale and sweating, staring at Joe with wide eyes as they collapsed to the ground. Joe himself had already gone to the ground, knowing before he started that he was going to be drained to the last drop a few times during the process. “And that, *ugh*, is why I need a few more people that can do this on a regular basis. I can’t run these on my own anymore.”

  “How long have you been making these?” one of the people—a watery-eyed lady—questioned him sharply.

  “Since I joined Eternium,” Joe told her bluntly. “I’ve gained skills and such that make it easier to handle, at least physically, but I’ve died several times while either designing or activating these rituals.”

  “Why in the world would anyone take a class devoted to this sort of thing?” A man shuddered as he sat up, having recovered consciousness while they talked.

  “Easy.” Joe pointed at the completed building. “A day of designing and refining the ritual, one minute of total suck, ten minutes of recovery… and a permanent building. Not all rituals make permanent things like this one does, but there are a ton of really cool things that I can make and automate.”

  Over the next short while, people wandered away. It was expected, so Joe tried not to take it too personally. He just sat there and looked at his gain of a hundred class experience, wondering if that was the standard for Uncommon-ranked buildings. Probably. He did hope that he’d gain more for more impressive buildings. Joe stood up and looked around, surprised to see that there were four people still standing with him. “Hello…? Are you guys wanting to…?”

  “I want in,” the watery-eyed lady told him. The other three agreed, the third being the straggler they had picked up on the way over.

  Joe looked at that guy, and he shrugged. “I got a basic Warrior Mage class, but I couldn’t afford to take the classes. Even with the discount, I’m still broke. This seems like a viable way to move up, and I hear that you’ll be paying to do this in the future? I can take the pain of mana drain, and every other door seems to be closed to me until I make money. I’ll go to an entry-level position, at least I’ll have a job.”

  “Fair enough.” Joe looked at the others, hope blooming in his chest. Starting with four people was four more than he had expected to have. “Just so you all know, making progress in this class is both difficult and expensive. Both in terms of time and money. I’ll pay you for all the help you give me, yes, but your personal projects are on your own.”

  There wasn’t any argument from the others, so Joe simply smiled. “Excellent. Well, I am the only class trainer for the Ritualist class, so come with
me, and we’ll get started.”

  Achievement earned: Start a Coven. You have become the leader of a group of magic users, convinced them to follow you, and are the only class trainer. Nice work! Are they there because you convinced them or because there are no other options? Does it matter? Charisma +5! (1+1 per initial Coven member). +5 to skill: Speech.

  Skill increase: Speech (Novice VIII). Explaining the downfalls truthfully and still having people follow you is the best way to use this skill. Don't follow the route of politicians in the past, and this skill will have you commanding the masses in no time!

  Joe felt his body shifting in minor ways. He blinked as he read over the notification; that was the largest single gain to just charisma that he had gained… ever. It was also nice to see his neglected Speech skill getting some love. Joe walked with the others to the Pathfinder’s Hall and brought them into a secluded section. He touched the wall and connected to the various options. He opened the Ritualist class to these four people and watched as they accepted the class.

  Their eyes bugged out as they went over the benefits, and they looked at Joe for confirmation of what they were seeing. “Yes, there are great benefits. Don't share that with other people because this is a class that most people aren’t going to get. You four showed something special today. Going forward, people are going to really need to work—and work hard—to be considered for this. Consider this a hidden class, because it is. Let this be your advantage, and…”

  Joe confirmed something and looked at the others with hard eyes. “Just so you know, I can remove this class at any time. I won't ever use that ability without needing to do so, but don't think I’ll let you get away with doing terrible things. Now. With that said, if you’d like to come see what I am working on, get access to a few rituals, or just see the secret of this building… come with me. I have an enchantment to work on.”

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  It had been four long days, and Joe was still in the process of working out the kinks in the Mana Battery enchantment, but the quality of his work area had increased tremendously. There were other people around, and all of them had unique ideas and plans for what they wanted to get done. Joe had offered his cleaned-up copy of ‘Rituals for Dummies’ as a training guide, promising to let them see his other books when they were ready. That was the first time he actually felt like a class trainer—denying higher-leveled abilities until someone was ‘ready’ for them.

  Joe was currently staring at the workable version of the Mana Battery. There were still issues, but it would work. He might lose out on some of the potential power that could be stored, but he was nearly out of time. Not to mention, he needed to get this into ritual form. He completed the diagram, watching as the papers shuddered slightly. There was no mana in there, and this wasn't something someone could just read and learn like a scroll, but still, the papers struggled to contain the magical truths contained on them. A spell—or in this case, enchantment—diagram was still a rewriting of reality on a small scale.

  Item created: Leaflet of Enchanting (Mana Battery). This leaflet contains step-by-step instructions for turning a Core into a Mana Battery. This process has not yet been perfected, leading to a loss of potential mana. By inscribing this diagram on to a Core, you will be able to store (4*potential Core experience) mana into the new, rechargeable, Battery.

  Skill increase: Spellbinding (Apprentice II). Wrangling the universe and convincing it to stay on paper is always an impressive feat!

  Skill increase: Words of Power (Written) (Apprentice 0). Not all powerful words are scrolls, but they all help to make them! Congratulations! You have reached the Apprentice ranks for this skill! You are less likely to set yourself on fire! Not from a boost, just because you are getting better at dodging your mistakes!

  Skill increase: Ritual Magic (Expert 0). Your ability to create, maintain, and change rituals much more efficiently has reached the ranks of an Expert! You are now able to create Expert-Ranked rituals without too much fear of them exploding! Congratulations! You have maximized the amount that you can reduce the mana and component cost! Current bonus: 75% reduction. (25% from Ritual Magic + 50% from class bonus!)

  “Hold up… did that rank up just take away all the extra benefits of increasing my skill level?” Joe was about to grumble more when information on Expert-ranked rituals began appearing in his mind. He knew they were just the fundamentals of the Expert ranks, but it was fair to say that these rituals were… on another level. “Hee. I’m freaking hilarious.”

  “This… hmm.” Joe looked at the leaflet and waffled on the next step. He desperately wanted to perfect the enchantment, but he was on a dangerous time limit. After promising himself that he would eventually make it happen, he moved on to creating a ritual for this same process. The new Ritualists would come in every once in a while to watch as he made careful adjustments, but they all eventually left. During a break, the man that had joined because it was his best option asked Joe what he was doing.

  “First off, Taka, right? Great. I am taking a spell and turning it into a ritual.” Joe watched as Taka looked over Joe’s hodgepodge of work with a frown. “What was your class before this again?”

  “Takacomic. Yes, please call me Taka. I was a Warrior Mage cross classer trying to create a Magic Gunslinger class. I like guns, and I kinda miss them here.” Taka told him after a moment, “That ritual looks like my old programs written in C. But… it's strange.”

  “Yup. Turns out the universe is actually cobbled together with Python.” Joe and Taka chuckled at the reference, and Joe’s eyes shone as he realized that his new… Coven member? He’d need to give them a designation soon. Anyway, Taka seemed to understand programming, which had been a hobby that Joe had considered turning into a job back on earth. “I think you are going to like this class, Taka.”

  “Good. I get distracted pretty easy, but all this stuff is so intricate that I can just stare at it, ya know?”

  Joe got back to it, not needing to leave since he now had minions that he could send out for food and coffee. They even got quests from him when he asked for it, gaining minor amounts of experience and money that came out of his bank account. Nifty. Another day passed before Joe put the final touches on his ritual, and he looked unhappily at the final result.

  Ritual created: Ritual of Enchanting (Mana Battery) (Expert). This ritual creates a mana battery at half the efficiency of creating the enchantment directly. In return, after activation, the ritual no longer needs mana input, becoming self-sustaining. Simply place a Core into the ritual, and it will be converted in [potential experience] seconds. Components needed for ritual activation…

  Joe stopped reading, rubbing at his tired eyes. It made sense, he supposed. If he could easily replace Enchanters, the class would become useless. “Grr. This means that a low-grade Core will only give me a thousand mana to use. Not only that, but… this ritual is Expert-ranked. I am an expert, but this is still going to be on the edge of what I can create.”

  “Got used to talking to yourself while working?” Taka kindly asked, making Joe flinch away and reflexively cast Cleanse on the man. As Taka sputtered, Joe blinked at him and looked around. The room had everyone working in it. That is, all the new Coven members.

  “Yeesh. I think I need to boost my perception.” Joe looked at a soaked Taka. “Sorry about that, but it’s a lot like a shower… if that helps.”

  “Right, whatever. What’s the big deal about Expert-ranked rituals?” Taka asked as he wiped off his face.

  “I’ll show you.” Joe sent his intent into the room, and the floor began to lift until there were four rings clearly showing. The fourth, on the outer edge, was only seven feet in diameter. “This is the basic setup of an Expert ritual, four rings that turn in alternating directions. Both sides of the rings, top and bottom, need to have the proper diagram. The rings, while turning, will lift into the air and move like a gyroscope. There will be a massive input of mana required, and if I get it wrong at the start, the e
ntire thing will explode like a thermite bomb. If it gets all the way to activation and then something goes wrong, we could wipe out the entire town.”

  Silence swept over the area, and Joe was glad to see them all taking his words seriously. “We are playing with mana concentrations that the College sees as weapons. That’s before the effect we are after is in place.”

  “Celestial Feces,” one of the others whispered.

  “I just don't know how I’m going to make this ritual in only a few days,” Joe fretfully muttered.

  “You control this room, right?” Taka looked at Joe sidelong. “Can’t you make it on those rings?”

  “Yes, but again. One mistake? Boom.” Joe wiggled his hands to mimic an explosion, and another of his new Coven members spoke up.

  “Right, right, but why not make two sets of the rings and emboss the top of one and the bottom of the other in the pattern you need? Then pour molten metal or something over it and press them together? Use the room to make a mold, then take your new rings out somewhere else and activate the ritual?” The watery-eyed woman really liked to talk with her hands, but right now, Joe didn't care even a little; in fact, he might have kissed her if she wasn't across the room.

  “That’s brilliant!” Joe started making preparations right away, and in his mind, he even had a plan for how he was going to do it. It remained to be seen if he could, but… “Alright! I’m heading out, I’ll be back as soon as I can!”

  Joe ran up to the temple and teleported to Ardania. He appeared on top of someone, and even with the sudden added weight, they didn’t stumble. That was how dense the press of people were. Joe looked around and realized that he was crowd surfing along with hundreds of other people. It seemed like the overpopulation issues were getting worse, far worse, instead of better. At least this way people would live, he supposed. He felt bad doing it, but he stood up and started hopping from person to person as a method for crossing to the merchant area.