by Dakota Krout
These were amazing. In terms of pure stats, Waritualist was the clear choice. It was also the highest actual rarity, and the rituals that came with it were pretty freaking cool. Joe clicked on ‘Boost All’ to get the information, and it told him that this spell would increase all stats of allies in a kilometer by fifteen percent. ‘Low-Orbit Drop’ seemed to be the little brother of a meteor spell, dragging debris and such from orbit and dropping it on the targeted location. He itched to take this class.
He took a deep, calming breath. Eldritch was out for sure; he had no plans, currently, to kill off others just to save costs on his rituals. Also, the ritual it provided made a bunch of uncontrollable undead. He would get experience for everything they killed, but it was possible that he would be on the menu. Even with the risks, it was quite honestly a tempting class. Joe could see how easily it could corrupt, how easy it would be for him to gain levels. If that were his goal… but luckily for the unsuspecting citizens of Ardania, it wasn’t his only goal.
Frankly, the ability to make a blueprint and ritual for any building was incredibly exciting. His guild could start building a city and stuff it full of Mythical buildings. Sure, he would need to find a few of those first and scan them, but this would make them a superpower over time. Finding the resources would be a chore, but it was doable! Besides, time was something Joe had in spades. He was a digital entity now. The thought of creating something permanent instead of only ever making war was what decided it for him though. Selecting Rituarchitect as his specialization, Joe braced for the painful changes he was sure would occur.
You have chosen a specialization! Since you are now the only living Rituarchitect, the rarity of the class is Artificially Artifact. Being the first comes with benefits! You gain an additional +2 Dexterity per two class levels due to the rarity increase (Already shown in class description), and you are granted the ritual ‘Architect’s Fury’. All benefits from base class remain. This class gains experience by scanning buildings as well as building them with the assistance of rituals. Other rituals created and used may also give experience. The skill ‘Ritual Magic’ can no longer be increased with skill points! The increased cross-class skill cost has been removed; I hope you’ve been grabbing as many skills as possible! Good luck on your adventure, young Rituarchitect!
Withheld skill experience gained!
Skill increased: Ritual Magic (Journeyman VI). You are now stepping into areas that none have trodden in long centuries. As a Journeyman in ritual magic, you are able to teach Novice Ritualists effectively. Each tier of rituals up to and not including Journeyman are now faster to create, starting with 60% faster Novice rituals and decreasing in speed by 10% per tier.
Did that last message mean that Student rituals were thirty percent faster to make correctly? Neat. Joe opened his eyes and glanced around. No blood, pain, or crippling regret. This was a happy change of pace! He thought about the ritual he had just gained and was pleasantly surprised to notice that it appeared in his mind crisp and clear, though he was a bit disappointed to see that it was only the scanning ritual. He had thought it was a bonus ritual. One of the best things for him was the fact that there was now no cross-class increase in skill cost. He had wondered why it was specifically stated in his class that he could learn any skill when it seemed that everyone had the ability to do that in one form or another. Turns out that it was just a hint about specializing.
He opened his character sheet to take a look at the changes. Joe made a couple of quick adjustments to his sheet; he figured that he didn’t need all the details on the breakdown of mana and stamina anymore, and he was getting sick of seeing them.
Name: Joe ‘Tatum’s Chosen Legend’ Class: Mage (Actual: Rituarchitect)
Profession: Scholar (Actual: Occultist)
Character Level: 10 Exp: 55,599 Exp to next level: 10,401
Rituarchitect Level: 1 Exp: 0 Exp to next level: 1,000
Hit Points: 190/190
Mana: 1578/1578
Mana regen: 17.55/sec
Stamina: 165
Characteristic Raw score (Modifier)
Strength: 19 (1.19)
Dexterity: 26 (1.26)
Constitution: 24 (1.24)
Intelligence: 59 (2.09)
Wisdom: 58 (2.08)
Charisma: 23 (1.23)
Perception: 39 (1.39)
Luck: 26 (1.26)
Karmic Luck: +1
“Looking good, if I do say so myself.” Joe thought for a few seconds about his stats. “I bet there is someone out there that grinds stat points exclusively. I bet there are a lot of people doing that, actually.” He decided not to share his stats with others anymore because he was sure it would start a long rant about how he didn’t ‘maximize his character’. Sure, but he’d get there eventually. There were things happening! There were quests to complete, legends to research! He shook his head at the imaginary argument with people that might not exist, deciding to go do things that mattered.
~ Chapter Thirty-four ~
There was one more thing that he needed to do before he could go off looking for quests or other people to harass. Following the blueprints in his mind, he went toward the temple area of this building. He needed to dedicate the place of worship to Tatum, and the building would gain protections or extra effects. It was a nice, simple way to-
Joe’s jaw dropped as he entered the temple. There was a person on their knees in front of the main altar. “-and so, great lord of fire and wrath, I hereby dedicate this temple-”
“Hey!” Joe’s furious shout shattered the cleric’s concentration, and a startled squeak erupted from his mouth.
“What? What are you doing?” the unknown cleric stammered, climbing to his feet. “I was just about to bless this entire building!”
“It’s taken care of.” Joe sent a command to the building, and an invisible wave of force picked the cleric up and deposited him outside of the temple. There were a few shouts of confusion and fear, but he landed safely and simply couldn’t walk any closer. He tried, and it was like he was walking against a hurricane-force wind. Eventually, he simply sat and waited for something, staring through the large open area at Joe.
“That was far too close,” Joe huffed as he walked up to the altar area. He placed his hands on it and said, “I dedicate this temple to Occultatum.” Simple, no fluff, hard to interrupt.
You have found an unguarded, unassigned, mid-sized temple! Would you like to convert the main shrine to a place of power for Occultatum, the god of hidden and forbidden knowledge? Yes / No.
Joe selected ‘yes’, and a non-existent bell tolled in the air above him. A breeze came from the altar as it began to deform and shift, changing from a simple yet huge stone block into a book with shifting and mysterious characters playing across the open pages. Joe imagined his robe fluttering in the breeze… wait, that was gone. His hair fluttering in the breeze… Joe clenched his teeth and seethed silently. Not only was he bald and robe-less, but he literally sparkled when he had his magical protections activated. This game… whatever. Refocus!
The entire temple shifted, the amazing building they were in facilitating the transformation easily. Joe felt a slight reduction in his personal mana, but it was easily regenerated and replaced. The walls gained shifting shadows that hinted at maps and information, and the floor sank around the altar and created a moat-like channel that collected dark water which began pouring from the ‘book’. Overall, the area became dark, mysterious, and exciting. Joe was very impressed by Tatum’s choices of interior decoration.
Mid-sized temple converted! Beyond the main dedication, this temple can have up to three lesser altars in it dedicated to different deities. They can offer different boosts to the temple and act as interceptors to anyone attempting to wrest control of the main altar. The smaller altars must be converted before the first in the event of an attack; this forces the deity of that shrine to act on your behalf lest they lose overall power.
The Grand Ritual Hall has gained pro
tectors! Four Divine Juggernauts have spawned within the temple! New effects have been added to the Hall: Knowledge Nova, Assimilation.
Knowledge Nova: The Grand Ritual Hall has been filled by a deity that is not content with waiting for knowledge to be found. At the cost of devoting the building’s mana to this spell, an active scan will be initiated from the top of the building. A wave of mana will ripple out, scanning anyone in its area of effect. Each time this happens, it will ignore anything that has not changed from the last scan, allowing the scan to reach further. This spell can be activated manually but will automatically activate whenever the building’s mana is at its maximum. Scan range determined by amount of mana devoted.
Assimilation: No longer does someone need to offer their class information to the structure. Now, anyone entering the area of effect of this spell will automatically add all information needed to gain any classes they may have unlocked. This is a passive effect, and only tier-four or higher classes have a chance to be noticed. This spell will also be a part of the spell ‘Knowledge Nova’ when it is used.
“Oh, boy.” Joe wasn’t sure whether to laugh or panic. “That could be trouble.” He looked over at the Juggernauts that had appeared, completely enthralled by their appearance. Standing eight feet tall with matte black armor covered in shifting, glowing runes, these beings certainly looked the part of an unstoppable force.
“Awaiting assignment,” the deep, nearly demonic voice echoed from the depths of a helmet, the glowing purple light shining through the eye-slit turning the pale Rituarchitect lavender.
Joe coughed, hiding the fact that he was just trying to snap his mouth closed. “Right! Um, two of you stay and guard the temple. Anyone may enter, but slay all attempting to convert this altar. One of you guard the entrance to the building and the other… um, I guess also go to the entrance to the building. Feel free to slay anyone who attacks you, but if possible, simply subdue them and keep them contained until I arrive.”
The beings gave no acknowledgment, simply moving to their new posts. Tatum’s voice came into Joe’s ear, “Nice job with the building! It kinda looks like a giant egg. Did you design it that way, or was that the Sage’s design?”
“That’s how it came. Way too advanced for me to mess with,” Joe admitted into the air.
“At least you know your limits.” There was a pause before Tatum spoke again, “Oh! This design allows for an easy transition into a Grandmaster working or a Legendary structure, as you call it. Very nice. The original building used five times the amount of resources it actually needed, just so it could be upgraded for next to nothing… comparatively. Most likely the very best decision you could have possibly made with that boon, but I am exhausted. If you could have the building divert ten percent of the resources generated to me–not money, just mana, stamina, health and such–it would help rebuild my power.”
“Sure, let me…” Joe opened the menu and set up that option, Tatum highlighting the sections needed for easy use. “Done. What about that cleric impatiently waiting over there? Should we let him use one of the lesser altars?”
“God of fire and wrath, huh?” Tatum chuckled aloud, the sound making the floor rattle. “That’d make you pretty popular with berserkers and the like. He doesn’t get many clerics; most of his devotees are raging fighters or vindictive assassins. Probably smart for you to get on his good side; it’ll protect you from some nasty characters. Sure, bring him in! He’d also help balance the temple, giving fire and heat to counter the dark and water. A good fit, if he wants it. Good luck, I’m off!”
The silence stretched for a second, but then Joe allowed the other cleric access again. The man walked forward with a resigned look, stopping a few feet from Joe.
A champion of an unaligned deity has entered the Grand Ritual Hall’s temple! Prepare to defend what is yours!
“Heh. I got a notification asking if I wanted to try and take over the temple, but I would need a raid group to fight off those things. I’m Crim, nice to meet you. I was a little upset at first before I realized that you were the guy that hired my guild in the first place. Then I felt a little bad that I tried to steal the temple out from under you. I really thought I was doing you a favor, my bad.” Crim blushed crimson, making Joe wonder if that was where his name came from.
“Hey, Crim, not an issue. Actually, thanks, I guess? It would have been nice if I didn’t already have plans for it. How did you get into the Mage guild? I thought they only took, well, Mages,” Joe awkwardly responded.
“I have both the Mage and Cleric class, really great for generating mana. Doubles my mana capacity.” Crim smiled at Joe, who had a knowing look on his face. “Listen, there are more altars in here, right? Can I…?”
“Already approved by my deity,” Joe confirmed for him, making a sweeping gesture at the unused stone blocks around the room in the four cardinal directions. Crim walked over to one, and a minute later, a wash of flame came over the area, turning the altar into a blazing brazier that released blue flames. Sconces appeared on the wall, and the chilly room heated up to a pleasant temperature.
Rudimentary pantheon created! You have created an alliance with another deity! 15% of all devotions to the subordinate deity in this zone will go toward growing Tatum’s power! Guardian Juggernauts power increased by 10%! Building’s mana generation increased by 5%! Make sure not to start fights with the devotees of this deity; you will lose favor very quickly if you do. New reputation with Tommulus, deity of fire and wrath: Reluctantly friendly.
“Solid increases!” Joe smiled at Crim and thanked him, deciding to leave the building and look at it from the outside. It took a few minutes of walking to get near the exit; this place was huge. When he got out and saw the building from the outside, he had to snort. It did look like a giant black egg with a lighthouse sitting on top. Looks didn’t matter though… right?
“That is a giant eyesore,” Jaxon cheerfully stated as he walked up to him. “Hi there, Joe! Glad you are back in the guild and reassigned as our leader! The others were a touch miffed that you left without contacting us, but I’m sure they’ll get over it.”
Unsure of what to say–and feeling horribly embarrassed–Joe followed Jaxon back to his party and apologized profusely, needing to explain the entire situation as well as where they now fell in the hierarchy. That is, how they were essentially outside of it. There was a bit of residual anger, but to Joe’s great relief, the issue was mostly dropped. He was sure they had already said what they needed to, just not to him. He started off the day by paying them their salary which was listed in the guild tab. That helped, he was sure.
Poppy tried to break the tension by changing the subject, “Joe, did you know that everyone who participated in making that building also unlocked their magic stat? Mana and such?”
Joe latched onto this conversation like a drowning man grabbing a door. “That’s great! I bet I’ll have no shortage of volunteers next-”
Like a person already on the floating door and pushing away the drowning man, Bard let his hopes die. “They also told everyone exactly how much it hurt. Said t’were like acid cuttin’ inta their bones for a half hour.”
“Acid on bones? So wasteful!” Jaxon cried in outrage.
“People are so dramatic.” Joe heaved a sigh and looked around at his group. “Guys, I’m really sorry about that; I didn’t mean to leave you hanging like I did. I should have at least come to talk with you first before running off in a tantrum.”
“Yeah,” Alexis chimed in. “Don’t… um… don’t worry so much. It wasn’t that long, and we… got you a present when we saw that you became our leader again, so we aren’t that mad.”
“Alexis! That’s not how you build the tension!” Poppy chided her, making Bard glare at him. “You need to make him squirm a bit and get really worried! Don’t lead off with the present!”
There was a moment of silence, so Jaxon jumped in, “So anyway, we got you this!” Poppy gave a small shriek of frustration and stamped his f
oot as Jaxon handed over a long staff with a purple orb at the top of it.
Mystic Theurge Staff (Ironwood) (Special: Dual Class). Mystic Theurges place no boundaries on their magical abilities and find no irreconcilable paradox in devotion to the arcane as well as the divine. This staff helps to unite their power. Effect: Adds 10-20 blunt damage on strike. -12% cast time when casting either Cleric or Mage spells. Halves penalty for using cross-class (Mage or Cleric) skills. Note: This is a two-handed item, and only one spell may be cast at a time using it.
“This is so amazing!” Joe exclaimed happily while turning the staff to look at every angle of it. “What is this rarity? Does that mean you can’t use it unless you have the two classes it works for?”
“Yes, which is why it is so rare. No one usually bothers to make them because Mages typically don’t also get the Cleric class.” Alexis walked over and motioned for Joe to hand her his scepter. He did, and with a tweak of her fingers, she undid his taglock augment and clipped it onto the staff under the orb before handing both back. Her expertise allowed her to shift augments like that without reducing their durability or effectiveness. “Also, it can hold up to four augments. I’d recommend finding a few more if you plan to hold onto this.”
“It’s too much. Thank you all.” Joe looked around, feeling even worse about leaving without an explanation. “What can I do to-”
Guild Alert! The Kingdom of Ardania has issued a call to battle! The Wolfmen have been spotted hurriedly gathering in the north and seem to be targeting a town newly returned to the Kingdom’s control! Though you have a quest for this, the quest has now become compulsory: All Noble Guilds are hereby drafted into the service of the crown! Desertion will add a maximum-tier Warlock title which will take two Title slots. As you read this, all non-noble guilds are being notified of the impending battle and being offered a quest to form up and attack the enemy. Time until start of assault: 168:21.