Regicide (The Completionist Chronicles Book 2)

  Regicide

  Book Two of The Completionist Chronicles

  Written by Dakota Krout

  © 2018 Dakota Krout. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by US copyright law.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This book is rated PG-13 for literary fighting, fowl language, and puns unsuitable for people of all ages. It also contains advanced avian puns that may induce rage in wildlife majors.

  To connect with Dakota and be in the know:

  Website: Dakotakrout.com/

  Patreon: Patreon.com/DakotaKrout

  Amazon: Amazon.com/default/e/B01M2UQD35

  Facebook page: Facebook.com/TheDivineDungeon/

  Facebook group: Facebook.com/groups/krout/

  Twitter: Twitter.com/DakotaKrout

  Goodreads: Goodreads.com/Dakota_Krout

  Discord: Discord.gg/8vjzGA5

  Reddit: Reddit.com/r/CALexicon/

  ~ Table of Contents ~

  ~ Table of Contents ~

  ~ Acknowledgments ~

  ~ Prologue ~

  ~ Chapter One ~

  ~ Chapter Two ~

  ~ Chapter Three ~

  ~ Chapter Four ~

  ~ Chapter Five ~

  ~ Chapter Six ~

  ~ Chapter Seven ~

  ~ Chapter Eight ~

  ~ Chapter Nine ~

  ~ Chapter Ten ~

  ~ Chapter Eleven ~

  ~ Chapter Twelve ~

  ~ Chapter Thirteen ~

  ~ Chapter Fourteen ~

  ~ Chapter Fifteen ~

  ~ Chapter Sixteen ~

  ~ Chapter Seventeen ~

  ~ Chapter Eighteen ~

  ~ Chapter Nineteen ~

  ~ Chapter Twenty ~

  ~ Chapter Twenty-one ~

  ~ Chapter Twenty-two ~

  ~ Chapter Twenty-three ~

  ~ Chapter Twenty-four ~

  ~ Chapter Twenty-five ~

  ~ Chapter Twenty-six ~

  ~ Chapter Twenty-seven ~

  ~ Chapter Twenty-eight ~

  ~ Chapter Twenty-nine ~

  ~ Chapter Thirty ~

  ~ Chapter Thirty-one ~

  ~ Chapter Thirty-two ~

  ~ Chapter Thirty-three ~

  ~ Chapter Thirty-four ~

  ~ Chapter Thirty-five ~

  ~ Chapter Thirty-six ~

  ~ Chapter Thirty-seven ~

  ~ Chapter Thirty-eight ~

  ~ Chapter Thirty-nine ~

  ~ Chapter Forty ~

  ~ Chapter Forty-one ~

  ~ Chapter Forty-two ~

  ~ Chapter Forty-three ~

  ~ Chapter Forty-four ~

  ~ Chapter Forty-five ~

  ~ Chapter Forty-six ~

  ~ Chapter Forty-seven ~

  ~ Chapter Forty-eight ~

  ~ Chapter Forty-nine ~

  ~ Epilogue ~

  ~ Afterword ~

  ~ Appendix ~

  ~ Sneak Peek ~

  ~ Acknowledgments ~

  There are many people who have made this book possible. As always, the first among them is my amazing wife, who always encourages me to do the best at any task I set my mind to. Thanks to her, I now have the remarkable opportunity to work with her every day, and we are able to spend more time with our daughter than we ever thought possible. Speaking of, a small thank you to my daughter, who reminds me why I am working so hard. I hope that I can always be the person you need me to be!

  A special thank you to all of my patrons, who not only help me make better stories, but are great friends and people. An extra special thanks to: Steven Willden, Nicholas Schmidt, Samuel Landrie, Justin Williams, Blas Agosto, Andrew Long, Steven Dwyer, Dennis Vanderkerken, Andrew Reagan, Fred Lloyd, William Merrick, and Fawn Crow.

  To the amazing readers who have gone out of their way to help manage my social media and/or supply me with sustenance; thanks go out to: Clayton Guerry for the delicious coffee, Dominik Spitzl for the crazy amount of Viennese food, Dennis Vanderkerken and Jessamyn De Vos for not only moderating the discord channel, but for sending me tons of Texan specialties, and last, but not least, to Corey Barron for designing and running the subreddit and discord channel.

  Lastly, a heartfelt thanks to you my reader. I could not have done it without you and I hope to keep you entertained for years to come!

  ~ Prologue ~

  “Your Majesties.” General Armond bowed before the throne, his apprentice doing the same. “The attacks against our defenses have increased in regularity and efficacy. Our guards have been taking serious wounds, but between our healers and a few clerics that have been deemed trustworthy by various Officers, the majority of them are able to return to duty if their wounds are not immediately fatal. Another threat most dire has come to our attention as well. If the number of Racial Traitors we have been finding are any indication, it seems the Wolfmen have been working to turn people against us.”

  The Monarchs remained unmoved on their thrones, their impossibly still forms giving credence to the rumors that they were simply statues of the true Monarchs. No one still counted among mortals had seen beneath their metal exteriors, but the fact that they did move around from time to time proved that at the very least they were more than simple effigies.

  The King’s voice rang out in a rich, deep tone, “What would you have us do, General? With the death of the previous Archmage and the rise of a new one, the fighting force we can muster has swollen by a large degree. Now that we are able to guarantee that our platoons will have magical support, we could either mount an offense or rebuild our defenses. Which way would you have us lean on this issue?”

  “With the strange assault of dark creatures that decimated the common Wolfmen for over a week, I believe that the raids and banditry are desperate bids for survival. It would only take a single spark to bring their nation into full war.” General Armond hesitated for only a moment. “I wish for a small part of both of the options you mentioned. The lands held by humankind have been reduced heavily, and we have been forcibly contained within the walls of this city. Now, though… now we have an advantage that we would be foolish to ignore. I propose that we try to reclaim our outlying population centers.”

  The Queen’s form shifted on her seat, startling those watching. “That course of action is not going to be possible at this time. Though we have Mages joining us and greater access to enchanted weapons, the new troops still lack experience. We cannot commit to an assault unless it is a full-blown attack against the Wolfman tribes; even then, not until we have become a cohesive whole.”

  “I agree, but I think I may have found a solution to this issue. If we were to offer the Travelers a base of operations, an area where they can train in privacy and build their power, we would be able to get the best of both worlds. We would not only get a forward operating base that serves as a training ground as well as a first line of defense, but the guilds would also bring a town under the banner of Ardania.” The General’s words were passionate and well thought out. All of his strategists had agreed that this was the best, most efficient, most cost-effective methodology that they could implement.

  “You want to give the guilds control over a town? The possibility of an abuse of power makes me hesitant to accept this course of action. Unless… perhaps you have a guild that you would recommend right away, a trial run?” The Queen’s head tilted a bit as she gazed at her mos
t trusted advisor.

  The General looked at his apprentice with a grin, and Tiona–Guild Officer of The Wanderer’s Guild–smiled right back at him. “I may already have a group in mind, Your Majesty.”

  ~ Chapter One ~

  Joe flinched as a knock boomed against the door to his warehouse. It had been just under a week since his… altercation with the Mage’s College, and so far, no one had anything negative to say about it. Deep down though, he knew that when someone is raised as a fanatic and another person shatters their worldview… well… history doesn’t show that person living a long and happy life. In short, Joe was sure that someone was eventually going to come after him. Until he had a person to face off against, he was expecting an assassin to appear when he was unprepared. Hence, he was a little jumpy.

  “Come in!” Joe called out, putting his ink-stained hands under the table. If someone were entering with less than honorable intentions, he wouldn’t hesitate to send thirty points of damage into them in the form of a shadow spike to the leg.

  “Can… can you come out instead? There’s something in the air here.” The voice that drifted into the room sounded a bit sickly. Ah yes, his ‘Quarantine’ ritual would make anyone that got too close to the building super nauseated.

  “I have a delivery from the College as well as a personal message from…” there was a bit of rustling as the man looked at his delivery notes, “Journeyman Fire Mage Cel?”

  “I’ll be right there!” Joe called, already working on unlocking the door. He typically wasn’t an overly paranoid person, it just so happened that he was diving deep into study and experimentation currently. If he were interrupted while trying a new ritual, an assassin wouldn’t even need to fight him; the mana feedback could pop him like a balloon as it rebounded into him. “I’m Joe. What do you have for me?”

  “Two packages and a letter that I’m supposed to read aloud.” The mailman cleared his throat. “This is a quote; it isn’t my own words. Understand? Good. Cel says, ‘If you want to learn these spells properly, stop faffing around in your creepy room that makes people sick, take a shower, and learn from a Mage at the College. Book learning can only take you so far.’ Now, back to my own personal words, I do agree with the shower comment.”

  Joe glared at the mailman and subtly sniffed under his arms. It was possible that a shower would not be a terrible idea. Maybe that was why dinner had cost almost half as much more than usual last night. “I didn’t ask for your opinion. Just give me the books.”

  “Here ya go, delivered safe, sound, and on time!” The mailman looked at Joe expectantly, but Joe just glared, maintained eye contact, and slowly shut the door. A message appeared in Joe’s vision that made him snort.

  Relationship change: -10 with courier #73. You are slightly less likely to gain help or quests from this person.

  Bah. With his ‘stinky’ debuff at… he checked the active effects tab on his character sheet… the fourth rank, even tipping the man a full silver would have only maintained a neutral alignment to their relationship. Joe had been hiding out and delving deeper into the secrets of his class ever since the fiasco with the Mages, and it was possible that he was a little too intent on his work. With no party to pull him along on quests and an abundance of new material, data, and spell components that everyone had needed a ‘license’ to purchase before the death of the Archmage… well, it was easy to miss a meal or two. Maybe he was a little less likely to shower or change his underwe-

  Joe quickly cut off that line of thinking before scratching at his crusty clothing. It might be time to go do other things for a while. On the other hand… he looked at the two thin books that he was holding. There were a few ways to learn a spell. The first–and easiest–was to have someone teach it to you. Normally, this is the route that Joe would have taken, but he had noticed that some people could use the same spell and get different results. This was because the person teaching the spell would teach it in the way that they knew it. The teacher would incorporate superstition, unnecessary gestures, and other such fluff. Using a fireball as an example, while some of these components might add a bit of power, maybe heat, or perhaps change the color, it would also lengthen the casting time and increase mana consumption.

  The second option was to learn or be granted the spell via a level up or natural ability. Joe had gained most of his magical abilities this way. It was difficult to level up, and it seemed that there was no guarantee that a better way to work the same magic didn’t already exist. Also, gaining spells and abilities in this manner might lead you in different directions than you intended to go. A fireball spell wouldn’t be super practical to him, for example, because he had high affinity with dark and water magics.

  The third option, the least practical for most people, was to find a spell book, specifically a grimoire. This was a detailed accounting of a spell, typically written as accurately as possible by a Mage. It had all the issues of the first option: the superstitions, assumptions, and sometimes tricks thrown in to confuse someone that may have stolen the tome. There was also no person guiding you so your spellform would not be carefully inspected and critiqued. This made an already difficult study nearly impossible, making books the worst options for anyone but enchanters and those who relied on precise lines or drawings.

  Joe had an advantage over a normal student of the arcane, and he hoped that his hunch would pay off. He cracked open the first book and read over the first page, smiling as alternating sections glowed either brilliant gold or a murky black light. Joe sighed in pleasure; he loved the occultist profession. Being able to see the truth of written information allowed him to bypass the trial and error associated with determining the fiction and reality of magic. Joe pulled a roll of paper out of the box next to his table, increased the light in the room, and decided that he could put off the shower a little longer. Pulling out a quill and ink, he started copying the truthful information from the book onto the scroll.

  Hours passed in what felt like an instant, and Joe looked down at the completed scroll. After adding the final details, he attempted to cast the spell it contained. His hands formed the shapes needed, and he pushed his mana into the budding spellform. “Weak acid spray!” With these words, a cone of acid sprayed from his outstretched hands and settled to the floor when it didn’t encounter anything else. The ground became a bit pitted after a few seconds, and Joe wrote down a note of how much damage it had done.

  Congratulations! You have learned a new spell: Weak acid spray (Novice I). This is a spell taught to the newest Mages, usually used to dissolve garbage in trash heaps so that it takes less space than usual. Effect: Deals 5n points of acid damage to anything caught in the area of effect, where ‘n’ is skill level. Deals triple durability damage to equipment and weapons.

  Quest updated: Playing your fake role II. As a Mage, your job is to output as much damage as possible in as short a time as you can. If you want to be a believable Mage, your ambition needs to be even higher than an actual spellslinger! Learn three Mage spells 2/3. Get one Mage-type skill to the beginner ranks 0/1. Kill five enemies within ten seconds by using spells 0/1.

  Wonderful, it seemed that writing out the formula would work! It was possible that Joe could learn spells that no one else could manage, spells that had been lost to time because there wasn’t anyone who could work through powerful grimoires! He could- *Whoosh*. The scroll he had created went up in flames, turning to ash in an instant. He released a high pitched squeal, flailing as he stepped backward and tripped over his chair. Simply lying there for a moment, he looked over the notifications he had been ignoring.

  Skill gained: Scribe (Beginner VI). After writing down sentences and formulae instead of single words and doodles, you have proven that your mastery over the written word is at least at the eighth-grade level! +1% writing speed and writing accuracy per skill level.

  You have created a spell scroll! A scroll allows anyone with the requisite skill who reads it to learn the spell it contains. Caution! You do
not have the skill ‘Words of Power (Written)’! Caution! You have not used a type of paper that can contain the magical truths written on it! Oh no! The ink and quill you have used do not have any mana containing or stabilizing properties! The scroll is unstable, chances of spontaneous conflagration, mitigated by materials and skill levels… 99.89%.

  Well. That had been informative. At least he knew why four hours of work was now gone up in smoke. Joe went to put away his items, but as he was packing up, he found that his quill had fallen apart and his ink had boiled away. Dang. No more writing until he replaced those. Another notification appeared, and he stopped, surprised that it had taken so long. Normally, notifications came in groups.

  After review, you have been awarded the skill: Words of Power (Written). You were able to create a scroll, even if it didn’t last long. Know that working with me means that you have someone advocating for you! -Tatum. P.S. You should find some information on skill rarity.

  Skill gained: Words of Power (Written) (Novice I). Being able to keep bias and personal preference out of spellforms is nearly impossible, but you have managed to distill a spell to its most basic design! By writing out the spellform on a scroll, anyone who reads the scroll will have a chance to learn the spell. Base probability of learning the spell from magical document: 20%. Each rank in this skill increases the chance of learning the spell by 2%, but personal ability will further modify the percentage. Each document will have a minimum characteristic score needed in order to learn the spell. When made properly, scrolls at Novice rank have 90+1n% increased chance to stabilize, -15% per increased difficulty rank. The spell must be in the basic spellform for the scroll to be valid.

  A one in five chance to instantly learn a spell from a scroll? Joe looked at the pile of ashes on his desk and sighed. It had taken a few hours to complete a single scroll, but it might be worth it to progress this skill. Learning spells was usually the work of multiple days, sometimes weeks or years for higher ranked spells. Even if it only worked every once in a while right now, by the time he had brought it to a high level, he could sell massively powerful scrolls for a fortune. Now, he should… his stomach rumbled, reminding him that he hadn’t left his admittedly odious room all day. Did he leave yesterday? No, he was working on perfecting the area of effect for rituals. Really, he still needed to- *Rumble!* His belly was no longer playing around.