Ruthless (The Completionist Chronicles Book 5)

by Dakota Krout

  Third and finally, Joe was highly motivated and focused. If he were able to use his subskill of Ritualistic Forging and ignore having to work on something like nails or horseshoes, all the better. Since he didn't need to focus broadly, he could aim for deep and narrow skill growth. His eyes glowed as he thought about the ritual that he had just left on the ground behind him. Joe finally had a short-term, achievable goal: he was going to stabilize that ritual to at least fifty percent within three days.

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Joe grumbled as he pounded on a bar of iron so that he could get it soft enough to pull into nails. “This is stupid and I’m going to fix this entire broken business model and its dumb face and-”

  “Hey! The metal knows when you’re treating it badly.” The smith was a player that had worked with metal his entire life before coming to Eternium, and his skill level was already near the mid-Expert rank. It would be higher, but there was so much more to metalworking at the high levels. Things such as adding in magical materials, powdered Cores, and various flames all had an impact on the final result, so knowledge and experience was king. “I already took you in under protest, so you’d better not torture my metal.”

  The smith watched as Joe turned the metal and placed it back in the fire. “Hmm. Better, but your attitude sucks. This is why I have no interest in apprentices… ugh. You know, you could always just quit.”

  “Can’t do it; then you get a spot in the guild for free, and I miss out on valuable training.” Joe ‘cheerfully’ shot down the man’s hopes. The guild had promised the smith a forge of his own in the town, so long as he was able to prove his ability; which included getting an apprentice all the way to the Journeyman Ranks. That was the highest that an Expert could train someone; they needed to be a Master in order to train someone into the Expert ranks.

  “Whatever, kid. All I need to do is either get you to quit or reach a high enough skill level, and I think that I choose ‘make you quit’.” The man smirked and turned to leave.

  Joe pulled the iron ingot out of the fire and nonchalantly made a comment that made the smith stop cold. “You do realize, I hope, that it is very likely that I am going to be the one that builds the forge you are going to use? An interesting part of the deal is that you were only promised a forge. Not a forge above Trash quality…”

  As Joe walked out of the guild-only temporary forge six hours later, he was carrying eleven iron triangles that each increased the stability of a Novice-ranked ritual by two percent, so long as a prime-number amount was used. “These are so interesting! I mean, they don’t help me right now, since I need at least a Beginner set, but I’m sure that someone in the Coven can use them!”

  Under the effects of both the four times skill gain multiplier of his class, as well as the Pathfinder’s Hall passive effect, on top of an Expert teaching him directly, Joe had been able to drop right into the middle of the Beginner ranks of Ritualistic Forging during his session.

  Ritualistic Forging (Beginner V).

  Joe was now able to create the items that he needed, but he needed to find a design that he could follow. He couldn’t just make random shapes and hope for the best. He either needed to find or create a lore skill for his forging, or he needed to find someone that could help him locate existing designs. After storing the stabilizers into the Grand Ritual Hall for any of his Coven to use, Joe was caught by Bard before he could leave the building overall.

  “Joe, yah gotta help me.” Bard was panting, covered in blood, and clearly had been put through the ringer.

  “Lay on Hands!” After casting the spell, Joe pulled Bard deeper into the building so that they wouldn't run into any surprises. “Bard… what’s happening?”

  “Ya know how ah’ve been stuck, been lookin for ah specialization that fit?” Bard wiped some blood off his face, pleased that he was no longer wincing when he did so. “Ah found one, but… there’s ah requirement, and I made ah lotta people angry.”

  “What do you need from me?” Joe was ready to jump into the action, a fact not lost on Bard.

  “This is… ahem. I need yah to give me permission to add Hansel to the rudimentary pantheon that yah got goin.” Bard looked at his party leader pleadingly, knowing that it was a big ask. “I’ll owe yah for ah long, long time, ah know. Still, please? There’s nowhere else ah can set up an altar that the Bardic College can’t find and destroy.”

  “That’s who’s after you?” Joe winced; the guild would not be happy if he turned the largest propaganda center in the Zone against them. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea, Bard. The repercussions against the guild as a whole could be devastating.”

  Bard had clearly known that the plea had been a long shot. “Ah’ll… think of somethin’ else…”

  Joe watched as his teammate turned away from him, and Joe felt that the turning was going to be more symbolic than literal if he turned his friend away now. “No. Bard, to the abyss with it. What’s one more enemy? They can just get in line, right?”

  “Yah… yah mean it?” Bard whirled around and slammed his hand onto Joe’s chest hard enough that he got a shadowy slap in return.

  Skill increase: Retaliation of Shadows (Student 0). Slapping a friend to gain the next tier, nice. Really shows your character. You have found that there are things that matter more than waiting around to get hit! Now, you are going to be able to use this skill as a preemptive retaliation! Bonus effect: When you are targeted by an attack of any kind, there is a 10+n% chance that Retaliation of Shadows will trigger for maximum skill damage against the attacker! They will still be hit by a regular retaliation if their attack lands!

  “Of course I mean it!” Joe read his notification and could barely breathe. Now the skill was starting to live up to its Legendary ranking! “How soon do you need the spot?”

  “I have everythin’ I need.” Bard was deadly serious and highly focused. “If we get to the Temple, I can take ah spot right away.”

  “If?”

  “Yeah, I had ah ton of assassins and the like after me.” Bard sighed deeply in relief that Joe was going to help. “I lost ‘em for ah bit, so… they’re prolly at the Temple waitin’ for me?”

  “I assume that you were intentionally waiting to tell me this so that you had a higher chance of getting me to agree?” Joe gave Bard a piercing glare, to which the powerful Skald simply chuckled and admitted that Joe was onto him. “What do you need to do?”

  “I have a small golden idol; just gotta drop it on an empty altar and it’ll do the rest.” Bard started hustling toward the Temple area, and Joe hurried to catch up to him. “Jus’ so yah know, these guys sent Alexis ta respawn.”

  “What?”

  “Yap. They told me tha’ I either hand over the golden lute, or they’d kill ‘er. They had captured her and a bunch of ‘em had a sword to her neck.” Bard growled at his memory. “She tol’ me that I better finish the quest no matter what, then pressed one o’ her mystery buttons and vanished behind a wall of poison. I saw her go grey on my party setup, but I know she took a bunch with her.”

  “Juggernauts, clear the temple area. If anyone refuses to go, cut them down.” Joe called loudly. He knew that he didn’t need to shout, but he did want to give fair warning to anyone that was listening. There was always a Juggernaut in the Temple area, and he had no issue with waiting a few minutes while any issues were dealt with. “No one attacks my team and gets away with it.”

  “That was a warning blow. You will not get another.” Hearing the inorganic voice of the Juggernaut, Joe pulled Bard to the side of the door just before it blasted open and chunks of dead person were tossed through. Bard looked at the mess, then looked at Joe with wide eyes as the sound of a blender came from the next room over.

  “Yeah, it considers an attack where they don't die instantly to be a ‘warning blow’.” Joe shrugged as he explained. “I’m not a huge fan of that, but what am I going to do when that tells me it won’t change?”

  Joe waved at a Juggernaut that
stepped heavily out of the Temple area and scanned the room. Its helmet locked on Bard, but Joe gave an order to let him through. After a brief pause, the Juggernaut nodded and spoke. “Twenty-two hidden presences are approaching at high speed. While these people are fools for assuming that anything can be hidden from the sight of Occultatum, they are spread out and may enter the area through various means to circumvent the rules.”

  “What… what is it sayin’?” Bard swallowed nervously as the purple-glowing Runic Juggernaut loomed over them.

  “As in, you can’t understand the words, or what he is getting at?” Joe wondered idly.

  “The meanin’. The words are… very clear.” Bard shuffled along the wall to avoid becoming trapped by the huge figure.

  Joe started walking normally, pulling Bard along with him. “He said that there were people in stealth coming through the Pathfinder’s Hall, and that they were too spread out to deal with easily.”

  As soon as they were in the Temple proper, they rushed to one of the two remaining open altars, and Bard pulled a golden lute out of his bag. “Thank goodness. This sucker is heavy, and the blasted thing can’t be put in a spatial bag!”

  “Bard, is it stolen?” Joe stepped away in case the lute started to scream or something. “I’ve only seen quest items gained in unsavory ways not be able to be stored in spatial gear…”

  “Only technically stolen,” Bard grumbled as he slammed the lute onto the altar. “It’s the artifact of a deity, I had a quest from him ta move it. People’s ‘property rules’ can eat a giant turd.”

  The altar started shining a dark red, then brown. A deep, bone-chilling sensation emanated from the altar. Both Joe and Bard were forced to take a step back as the chill suddenly changed: a raging pillar of strange brown fire exploded from the altar. A deep, sonorous laughter erupted from the flame as a wave of fire rolled off the altar and swept through the Temple and into the Pathfinder’s Hall, only parting to pass by Joe and Bard. Both remained locked in place, watching the fire with concerned expressions.

  Screams echoed into the Temple as people caught in the flame were reduced to ashes; only staying alive long enough to feel as though they were purified in the most literal sense. Joe swallowed deeply, and glanced sidelong at Bard. “Are you sure this was a quest from the deity of bards? Not an evil god that tricked you into getting into our pantheon?”

  “Joe, if I were tricked… how in the world would I know?” Bard managed to get out as the flame started collecting on top of the altar.

  “Brown flames, sudden murder of a bunch of people?” Joe turned his attention to the fire once more. “Any of that making alarm bells go off?”

  Bard didn't get a chance to answer as words shook the air around them, clearly originating from the altar that had just been activated.

  “Freedom! Hundreds of years of being stifled, and now I! Am! Free!”

  Chapter Forty-Six

  “Now that ya mention it, Joe, I am getting ah vibe that somethin’ mighta gone wrong,” Bard mumbled as the flame finally finished transforming. A person now stood on the altar, and he danced around the surface without leaving the confines of the superheated stone. Hearing Bard’s words, the being turned and stared down at them with a cold expression.

  Upon seeing who had spoken, the man did a backflip off the altar and alighted in front of them; somehow landing facing them directly. “You! Bard! Oh, such an unfortunate name, but such a virtuous person! You’ve freed me from the forced seclusion and terrible offerings of the Bardic College! Quest complete in the most spectacular of fashions! Here, have a class upgrade! Specialization, whatever!”

  Bard’s eyes rolled up into his head and he slumped to the floor before Joe could catch him. Joe turned his attention to the deity that was now considering him, and gulped. “You’re the owner of this building, huh? Let’s see… pantheon… Oh? Occultatum is The Master of this pantheon? Bet he loves that, the old windbag. Oh! Tom’s here! Hi, Tom!”

  “Tommulus,” came the grumpy reply from the red flame on Tommulus’s altar.

  “Millenia, and you still have that stick up your butt.” The brown-flame deity smiled kindly all the while as he said this. There was no reply. “Hmm, hmm, haa. Ritualist, Rituarchitect, oh, a Scholar-slash-occultist? Interesting, not unexpected. Moving into blacksmithing and alchemy recently? You mean professions that rely heavily on earth, wind, and fire? That’s gonna be hard with your affinities so heavily skewed toward infer… that is, darkness and water. Well, you deserve a reward too; perhaps I can help with that?”

  “I’m sorry, so sorry to interrupt; who are you?” Joe managed to get out after his Neutrality Aura moistened his mouth enough for him to speak again.

  “What? I’m Hans! The deity Hansel? Lord of Bards?” Hansel shook his head and muttered about education standards slipping. “Oh, wait! This is good! The College kept me so hidden that there isn’t a great record of my abilities! I can rebrand myself! Thanks, little spellweaver!”

  A new Deity has joined your pantheon: Hansel, Greater Deity of Bards, Teachers, and Political Assassins. There is a great synergy between Hansel and Tommulus, resulting in a 20% bonus to a student’s skill gain when being taught by a teacher in the area of effect of Pathfinder’s Hall (Temple).

  You have gained +2,222.22 reputation with Hansel! New reputation rank: Friendly.

  “Alright, here is a little reward for you, Joe! Sorry about the pain, but it’ll be worth it. Opening affinity channels is always worth it when you survive the process!”

  “Wait, I-” Joe couldn't get any other words out before brown fire surrounded him and started burrowing into him. His clothes seemed to scream, and Hansel winced.

  “Oh, sorry about that. You’ll need new clothes, but it's still worth it!” Then, either Hans vanished or Joe passed out, because Joe was suddenly looking up at the ceiling and blinking.

  Class restrictions on fire usage removed! No longer will you have -50% to skill gain and usage when using fire-based skills!

  Perfect Fire Affinity gained! You now have a bonus 100% skill gain and usage when using fire-based skills!

  Durability limit reached! Set equipment Wise Man's Wardrobe has been totally destroyed!

  Durability limit reached! Mystic Theurge Staff destroyed!

  Joe sat up and realized that he was naked except for his Spatial Codpiece. That wouldn't do. Sending his thoughts into his storage, he pulled out the only clothing he had; wrapping himself in the Cloak of Liquid Darkness. “Been a while since I wore you, hasn’t it? Well… better to look wet than to be walking around like gladiator Tarzan.”

  “Bardbarian?” Bard sat bolt upright. “I’m a Bardbarian! I finally unlocked a specialization! Joe! I have a clear path to my second specialization as well! I’ll eventually be able to be a Lore Keeper!”

  “That’s-”

  “Even better than I had hoped!” Bard was on his feet now, and he slapped a hand on Hansel’s altar. “You’re a good man, Hansel! Abyss right, I’ll be taking that path to the next tier with you. No worries; I’ll make sure to spread around the story we came up with!”

  A brown flame, more like a spark, appeared and stabilized above the altar. It was similar to Tommulus’s altar in appearance now, though the coloration was different. Joe also realized that soft music was now playing in the Temple, shifting the still and silent nearly-forested area into a relaxing and peaceful area for seclusion and self-reflection. A good upgrade overall, even without all the other bonuses they had gained.

  Joe was thrilled with the bonus that adding Hansel to the pantheon had provided. With a twenty percent boost to teacher-student skill gains, Towny McTownface would eventually become the center of learning for every craft, trade, and profession in the entire Zone.

  The Rituarchitect was shaken from his internal dialogue as Bard slapped a binder into his hands. “Here ya go, Joe! Present from Hans, as recompense for ‘leaving you more naked than the day you came into this world’. Apparently he really overstepped his boun
ds in his excitement? Is that why you’re dressed differently? What, ah… did I miss while unconscious? Know what…? Nevermind. Hansel says to wait on using it for another twenty-seven fourteen? He didn’t tell me what that meant.”

  “I don't know either - wait.” Joe pulled open his character sheet and looked at the information, his eyes going wide. “That’s the exact amount of experience I need to get my class to level eight. Let me inspect this…”

  Item gained: Golden Path Advancement. Increase either character or class level by two levels.

  “Celestial snapdragons,” Joe sputtered as he realized what the bonus meant. “What is he even talking about, saving it only ‘til my next class level? He’s outta his mind. I’m saving this until I’m level forty-eight! It says two levels, it says nothing about restrictions! Wait, there’s more to the description…”

  All experience gained for the selection will need to be repaid, and will be absorbed as it is gained.

  “Ah.” Joe shrugged at that. “Okay, I’ll need to repay the experience, so what?”

  Bard spoke up as they were walking out of the Temple together. “Well, isn’t it harder to gain experience at higher levels? You’ll be getting less experience for doing anything, unless you are doing things that are challenging for higher level stuff. Sounds like that actually has quite the drawback.”

  “Well, I’m gonna…” Joe tossed his hands in the air in frustration. “Whatever! We’ll see what happens. Also, what’s wrong with your voice?”

  “I am uncertain what you mean, Joe.” Bard replied clearly.

  “That! You still have your accent, but you’re speaking with a coherent accent now!” Joe had nothing else to get angry about right now, Bard was shooting down his plans too easily.

  A wide grin spread across Bard’s face. “Why, I am certain that I have no idea what you mean! Unless you are talking about the Silver Tongue ability I gained as a Bardbarian that makes my words smooth? I mean, I only got a bonus of ten charisma and dexterity!”