by Dakota Krout
Joe mentally checked the notifications waiting for him and smiled as the updates took effect.
You have put your mind and body through a grueling training regimen! This has tested you in ways you have never been tested before, and the results are beginning to show. You can add one point to either constitution or wisdom. Please choose. Constitution / Wisdom
Joe added a point to his constitution, almost managing to grin as he saw a few people become horrified as his body began to pull mana from the air around him in order to grow.
“What is happening? What did he just do?” a panicked voice reached his ears. “How is he drawing in mana while touching the tubing? Kill him!”
“Wait!” a voice called sharply. Joe grimaced as the shock came again; he had been hoping they would send him to respawn so he could rally his guild to destroy this place. “It looks like he spent a characteristic point to get above a ten-point threshold. No need for alarm; he was just trying to withstand the pain of The Accords.”
“Ha. A useless gesture.” Joe ignored the seemingly satisfied Archmage as he kept going over the notifications.
Skill increased: Mana Manipulation (Beginner IX). What are you doing to yourself? Total body torture to gain a few measly skill points? Now that is dedication!
Skill increased: Channeling (Beginner II). Congratulations! You have reached the beginner stages of channeling and have gained an extra effect based on your actions with channeling to this point. Extra effect: +5% spell stability when channeling mana.
Not terrible gains for two hours of grueling pain. Joe would have preferred not to have been in this position but was seriously considering doing this for a while just to get his mana manipulation to greater heights. He could always log out and let his avatar take the beating for him, but he wouldn’t gain any skill levels that way. That was the big danger of being ‘locked up’ for six months of real time. Joe wouldn’t get any skills nor any play time. He also couldn’t delete his character and start a new one, since that would erase his mind entirely.
An indefinite amount of time later, Joe heard the words that he had been yearning for since the start of this process. “That’s enough for now. The students will be joining us soon, and we should prepare for the ceremony.”
Someone came over to the captives, grabbed their wrists, and yanked their hands off the tubes. Joe noticed that whoever it was kept their own hands covered with gloves just in case they bumped against the glass. Hardly able to remain on their feet, Joe and Cel were brushed off by one of their escorts, obviously an attempt to mask the torture they had just gone through. Their clothes were covered with opulent robes, and someone roughly scrubbed their faces with a damp rag. Apparently looking as good as they were going to, they were marched in front of the Archmage’s throne and forced to kneel. Cel was moving easily and with relief, but Joe’s muscles were locked and tense. He was not looking forward to this.
Students began pouring into the seating area, chatting amicably and separating themselves by the color of their robes. The noise steadily grew, but it seemed there were only about three hundred total mages joining to watch what they thought of as a joyous spectacle. When everyone had found a seat, they waited to actually sit down until the Archmage motioned for them to do so. Joe’s eyes widened. Never had he imagined that the Archmage had such control over the magically inclined. Stealing a glance around, he saw that the councilors’ eyes were all deadened, and they were watching the proceedings helplessly.
“Today,” the Archmage struggled to his feet, hiding his lack of physical fitness by flourishing his robes, “we have gathered to observe a special event. Many of you know your young brother, apprentice fire mage Cel!”
The gathered crowd began cheering, calming down after a long moment as the Archmage waved his hands. “What many of you do not know… is that a few days ago, he was captured by a rogue mage!” The gasping drowned out the applause instantly. “While this young man was captured, he remained strong! He fought valiantly against his captor and learned many very important lessons!” His eyes glinted with mirth as the assembled people cheered. They couldn’t know that the lessons he had learned is one that they would all eventually learn as well.
“For his strength and mental fortitude, today he will be promoted to the rank of journeyman mage, and the council will decide upon his first specialization!” The silence lasted a second longer, but then the people seemed to explode into wild cheering and clapping. A tear trickled from Cel’s eye, but any who saw the shining liquid only thought that he had been overcome with joy and was attempting to remain stoic; they respected him all the more for it. “Apprentice Cel, you may approach and sign… The Accords!”
Joe had to hand it to the guy; he knew how to work an audience. Cel got to his feet and marched toward The Accords robotically. He was obviously under compulsion, but that wasn’t noticeable from a distance. Joe had to wonder why the Archmage didn’t simply order everyone to sign it three times. Did it require more mana to control the populace if they actively fought against it? That would make sense. Also, it was already using a huge amount of mana. Did the amount of times you sign it correlate to how much mana it allocated to control you? He had seen the entire construct dim when the gathered councilors had shifted around. Joe watched as Cel walked the last few feet and reached toward the utterly massive book that contained The Accords.
The book opened, and pages flew by. It stopped, once again becoming as still as a predator awaiting prey. Cel’s hand kept moving, and a beautiful quill that seemed to be made out of pure mana appeared in his hand. The last inch of his scrawled name was traversed, and Cel’s name appeared in The Accords for the second time. The mana rushing through the glass seemed to become more agitated, and a small arc of power leapt from The Accords into Cel. He reacted as if he had been struck by lightning, his entire body stiffening as he gasped in pain. When he could move again, he turned around with a wide smile plastered across his face.
“Rejoin us… Journeyman Cel!” The Archmage roared, the awestruck people taking his cue to begin celebrating for their newly promoted member. Cel bounded down the stairs, standing proudly in the spot he had vacated just moments before. Joe looked at him and was able to see that his wide eyes were horrified, not matching the rest of his expression at all.
Joe nodded at his ex-captive as the Archmage began to speak once again. “The other man up here is one that none of you recognize, for good reason. This man is… the rogue mage who held Cel captive!”
Your reputation with the Mage’s College has suffered! Reputation has been reduced by 2000. New status with the college: Hostile.
“That’s right!” The Archmage bellowed as the room broke into confused whispers. “This man broke our rules and needs to pay for his crimes. We have decided to be merciful though.” Boo-ing followed his words. “I know, I know. As much as we want to execute him for his crimes, he is a traveler. A single death would be too simple for him! Not only that, but when he was discovered, he surrendered as soon as he was able. Of course… this was the only possible outcome. After all, our own Master of the Flame was sent to bring him in!”
The red-robed mage on the dais with them stood and bowed. The Archmage nodded approvingly. “This man, known only as ‘Joe’, has sworn to follow our rules from this point forward. To that end, he will be signing The Accords today! He will never again get the chance to hurt one of my precious students!”
Mana must have been used to empower his words and the audience because the clapping and cheering could be considered sonic damage at this point. Joe–unlike Cel–was not allowed to freely walk to The Accords. He and two others climbed the stairs, but they stopped a few stairs from the top. “Now is the moment of truth!” the Archmage proclaimed as he watched Joe carefully. “Will this man prove himself a warlock, or will he join the college as the lowest of the low, hoping against hope that he will one day deserve to join us properly?”
~ Chapter Thirty-seven ~
Taking a deep breath,
Joe slowly walked the last few steps to The Accords. He reached a trembling hand toward the book, which burned black with falsifications in his occultist sight. The book began to shine with power and fell open. The pages blurred by, coming to rest at the next available open space. Joe’s hand came closer, and a quill formed in his grasp. Before he touched the page, he opened his left hand and allowed his scepter to drop from his storage ring into his waiting palm.
“Joe! What are you doing?” the Archmage boomed. “The Accords are protected by the entire college. Attacking them with a legendary weapon would do nothing. What are you going to do to them with a glorified stick? Remove his silence. Answer, boy!”
Joe looked back as the spell of silence deactivated. “Obviously I am going to do nothing to The Accords with my scepter.” He looked back to The Accords and allowed the quill to drift closer. Seeing this, the prepared spells targeting him were cancelled and the tension eased. Joe paused just before the quill touched the ancient paper, touching the book with his finger directly. “I really hope this counts. Activate ability from title Terms and Conditions.” His voice was harsh from the long hours of not speaking, but it was more than enough to activate the first title he had ever gained.
Terms and conditions single use special effect activated! There will be no contract-based repercussions to destroying the targeted contract, though other parties may not be pleased with you. Use ability on contract ‘The Accords’? Yes / No
“What did he just say?” The Archmage struggled to his feet and was about to start climbing the stairs. “Silence him! Now!”
“Yes!” Joe shouted as he drove the taglock needle on his scepter into his leg. A red ‘1’ floated up from him as a slew of messages began to appear.
You have activated the special effect from the title ‘Terms and Conditions’. The mana contract ‘The Accords’ will be destroyed in 5… 4…
You have activated a new ritual: ‘Stasis’. This ritual makes the target unable to interact with anything, move, or perform any action. The target is still able to see and think. While this ritual is active, the target and anything they have equipped cannot be damaged, moved, or altered in any way. This ritual lasts for five minutes. Time remaining: 4:58.
Title gained: Warlock I. You have broken your promise to the ‘Master of Fire’ of the mage’s college. You had promised not to cause trouble. Talk to the wronged party, a magistrate, or the King to get this title removed. Subsequent increases in this title’s ranking will have increasingly negative effects on you. Effect: Charisma -1, +10% cost for all purchases at neutral or good aligned shops.
Skill increased: Ritual Magic (Apprentice V). Testing new things on yourself is a surefire way to end up dead! Good thing you like risks. Let’s see if this one pays off.
The Archmage stopped, looking at Joe’s unmoving form in confusion. “You attacked yourself? Why? What are you doing!” He pointed at Joe, creating a lightning bolt that slammed into the utterly still man. A perfect hit, and yet not a single aspect of Joe had changed. Even his clothes were undamaged. The bolt of power had just… ended.
As everyone looked on in wonder–with just a hint of confusion–Joe’s titular effect came into play. The light around The Accords brightened as mana accumulated, and the sound of tearing paper shook the room. Without any further fancy effects, The Accords vanished with a small *pop*. The Archmage stumbled, staring in horror at the space the massive book used to occupy. “What… what have you done?”
“The cursed Accords are gone!” the Master of Fire spoke in a shocked tone. He seemed even more surprised that he had been able to speak. “We… we are free! Councilors! We are free! Kill that swine!” The incredulous tone had turned murderous at the end.
“G-gone? How are you all not dead then?” The Archmage squealed as he noted dozens of hostile gazes centered on him. He erected a shield around himself just before multiple elemental spells slammed into the thin barrier of energy. “Students! Help, they are attacking me!”
Confusion among the students was the only reaction to his words. They all knew it was impossible to intentionally hurt one of the members of the college, especially the Archmage, so what was going on? In their confusion, no one moved to help either side. The Archmage was weathering the council’s attacks only due to the huge amount of power enhancing and defensive enchantments that covered his corpulent body.
Lightning struck and strange shimmers in the air pulsed with dark intent. Fire devoured the air around the Archmage, leaving him gasping even though he was protected from direct damage. Slabs of tile lifted from the ground, superheating and flying at such speeds that they could be called a meteorite. One by one, the charms and mana-infused artifacts held by the Archmage began to break. His counterattacks were so weak that they couldn’t even pierce the wall of power that the attacks against him created around his body. Instead, he began looking for a way to flee the battle.
His protections would not last forever–in fact they were already faltering–but it gave him time to retreat up the stairs to where Joe was frozen in place. Breathing heavily from climbing the stairs and fighting, the Archmage pulled an ornate dagger out of a satchel on his side and stabbed it at Joe’s heart. The tip of the dagger stopped at the first clothing fiber it encountered as if the Archmage had struck a wall of steel. Seeing that there was no effect, the Archmage instead ducked behind Joe and tried to use him as a shield.
His plan was lacking, as it appeared the other mages had no qualms about blasting both of them into oblivion. In fact, it seemed that though the spells were becoming less flashy, they were becoming far more deadly. A line of what could only be described as ‘instant death’ drilled into his shield, only stopped due to the sheer complexity of enchantments the Archmage had been forcing others to create for him for centuries. “You bastard! What did you do to my accords!” The Archmage stood screaming and sobbing at Joe as the air sizzled with redirected and deflected spells. “I will find some way to destroy you for this!”
A wave of magma settled on him and shattered the last of his passive defenses. The Archmage screamed as droplets of molten stone splattered across his face. “Wait, wait, wait! Please! Stop! I surrender, I surrender!” He managed to save himself by raising a weak shield with his own power, obviously unused to the requirements of using his own magic for any length of time. This was a man who controlled others, and he had allowed his personal power to wane in favor of a few decades of hedonism. The attacks against him paused momentarily, but the looks on the councilors’ faces promised violence would resume soon.
“I’ve closed the spacial rifts in this area. There will be no escape via teleportation,” a mage in shimmering black robes spoke softly but was heard clearly across the vast room. His words made the Archmage’s face pale even more. “Why, why should we allow you to live when we have been your slaves for years, you pathetic worm? Did you ever afford us the opportunity to escape or allow us to plead our case?”
“You all had it coming!” the trembling Archmage screeched and stomped on the floor, trying and failing to slit Joe’s throat. This prompted no reaction from the mages, which bothered Joe quite a bit. “You belittled my craft, laughed at those of us who created binding contracts! I was getting my revenge for being treated as a drudge, a useless mongrel! You called me quill pusher or the poor man’s lawyer!”
“So you enslaved us? All of us? I had never met you!” a woman in brown robes yelled up at him.
“It didn’t matter! None of you matter! I’m the Archmage! I knew that contract magic was more powerful than any of you could hope to defeat, and I proved it!” The obese man was breathing heavily and sinking to the floor, clutching at his chest as though his heart was giving out.
“The Kingdom has been at war! You held us back, refusing to allow us to join in! Thousands have died because of your cowardice and profit-mongering! Our outlying villages have been stolen or destroyed, anyone not in the capitol city either dead or enslaved! You may have killed humanity as a whole through y
our inaction!”
“I don’t care!” It turned out that the Archmage wasn’t having a heart attack, he was pulling a stone that blazed with multicolored light out of a hidden pocket. “You are all going to die anyway!”
The Archmage reared back to throw the stone, but Joe’s hand reached out and snagged his flabby arm. Joe snatched away the stone, then swung his scepter into the Archmage’s head. The heavy man stumbled back uncomprehending as Joe jumped forward, slamming into him and sending him flying into the space that had been recently vacated by The Accords.
Screaming, the Archmage was pumped full of the mana that had been accumulated and stored by the tubing. Mana rolled into his body, filling it beyond capacity, beyond comprehension or human limits. Joe landed on the floor and covered his head. The screams seemed to linger and reverberate in the air as the Archmage’s body inflated and exploded into gore. Mana-charged flesh vaporized before it had a chance to land on anything, but the concussion wave blasted Joe off the raised platform.
He landed heavily with a large portion of his health removed, stunned and disoriented. He looked up to see potentially hostile council members staring down at him, but then Cel pushed through the wall of bodies that had formed around him. “Joe! You’re alive! How? How did you survive all of that and still manage to stop him from attacking us?”
Shaking his head, Joe coughed and healed himself. “Ow, dang that hurt. Remember that ritual we made this morning? It’s a ritual named ‘Stasis’. Activating it made me unable to move or perform any action but it also shielded me from everything thrown at me.”
“How did you get out? When you wanted to move, it just… stopped.” Cel seemed to take his answer at face value, which Joe appreciated.
