Regicide

by Dakota Krout

  “A class you say? Already?” The Specter released him, seeming to become contemplative. “It’s far too soon for that. What does this skill do?”

  “It does something similar to dark infusion but over the course of a few minutes. I’d demonstrate it, but it requires components to activate,” Joe complained bitterly. “Empowerment of Shadows.”

  “Components? No… only the most powerful shadow spells require components… does it require a Core?” The Warden was almost shaking, and Joe knew that he had him where he needed him.

  “It does; the spell calls for a low-grade Core at the minimum,” Joe told him.

  “A shadow spell I don’t have? So it is likely not… but still… I must see it.” The Warden looked into Joe’s eyes with its own empty placeholders and made a decision. “Go into the treasure room and gather what you need. Feel free to peruse the room, but know that if I feel that you are trying to run you will be pulled back in here and tortured for a few days before making the trip once again.”

  A chain wrapped around Joe, looping over his chest in an ‘X’ and melding into itself. As Joe walked, the dark chains clinked over the ground behind him and scraped against his skin. The treasure room was indeed a treasure room, though, from the sign on the door, it had originally been used for confiscated goods. There was a small shelf of books that drew Joe’s attention instantly, but those would need to wait for now. He was amazed by the breadth of compounds, potions, and ingredients. Was this what happens when you didn’t clear a dungeon for a couple centuries?

  He found everything he needed and even found that there was a drawer with various grades of Cores. He wanted to scoop them all up but held off and, instead, only took exactly what he needed. Carrying an armful of ingredients, he approached the Specter and started laying them out. “Alright, now all I need to do is start the spell and feed it mana after giving it a drop of my blood, and my control over shadows will… I… I mean, I’ll get a small boost.”

  The Specter stared at him for a full ten seconds without shifting its position. “...No. You will use this spell, but I will be the one to receive the benefits the first time. There should be no chance of you overpowering me even if you were boosted far beyond your capabilities, but… you are far too eager to perform this spell.”

  “But… do you even have blood?” Joe hedged in a complaining manner.

  “What do you think this liquid is? Yes, it is Shades and shadow, but it is also the essence of my being, which is what blood currently is for you. It should more than suffice.” The Warden was becoming agitated, so Joe simply hung his head and sighed, not an uncommon gesture for him over the last few days.

  “Alright. So long as I can go next,” Joe pretended to ask hopefully.

  “We shall see,” the Warden purred, motioning Joe closer. Joe stepped into the dark miasma around the Specter and almost gagged as the gaseous fluid caressed him and tried to press into his body. He stopped himself from coughing and strode along the area with the same exaggerated steps needed for slogging through a deep mud until he stood next to the Warden.

  Joe placed a silver chalice on the ground, and it was soon filled with viscous darkness. “Are you ready to begin?” Joe didn’t wait for an answer, taking a deep breath and trying to concentrate. He pulled open his notes, finding a screenshot of the ritual he intended to use. He scratched his finger, allowing a single drop of blood into the chalice to recognize that the ritual was to take mana from him.

  Reaching out with Almost Effortless Shaping, Joe began to twist and contort the darkness at the outer edge of the dark pool. To the Warden, it must have felt like mana was billowing out of Joe into a powerful spell, heightening his excitement. Staring at the screenshot of the precise but relatively simple ritual, Joe recreated the exact image over the course of five minutes by pressing it to the ground and solidifying it piece by piece. The ritual was ready to be activated at a record speed, and Joe almost started dancing with glee at the ease and speed of its creation, somehow managing to maintain his composure. Maybe it was the thought of what would happen to him if the Warden caught on. Yup. That was it.

  “This will drain most of my mana and may take a moment. Then there may be pressure as the darkness floods your system and empowers you,” Joe stated as he activated the ritual and sank to his knees. Mana flowed from him like a river, seeming to the Specter to collect in a ring around them. The Warden was overjoyed; he hadn’t seen a substantial boost to his power in decades, yet this man might be able to offer him power he thought he would need years to seek out!

  Five seconds passed. Ten. Thirty. Mana stopped flowing from Joe, and he collapsed to the ground heaving, trying to breathe air instead of drinking darkness. “There we go, now the darkness is charged with power and will begin returning to us.”

  “Us?” The Warden hissed, tossing Joe out of the pool with a simple motion. “I think not.”

  Joe landed heavily, actually needing to take a moment to heal himself from the awkward impact. He watched as the Warden stood in the ritual diagram happily, feeling the pressure building all around him for a full minute. “Yes, yes. I can feel the power building! This feeling… the pressure is lessening, or… my power must have increased to the point that I cannot feel it!” Joe looked at the notification that was waiting for him and slowly got to his feet.

  Ritual of Containment completed successfully! As the target participated in the ritual’s creation and didn’t know what they were actually doing–you dirty dog–the ritual’s power is increased by 20% thanks to the added effect gained at the Student ranks of ritual magic.

  “There we go.” Joe looked at the pool of darkness, which lapped up against the edges of the ritual but no longer flowed across. “That should take care of you for now.”

  “What? What do you mean take…?” Joe couldn’t see it, but he was sure that there was an expression on the Specter’s face that hadn’t been there in a long, long time… fear.

  ~ Chapter Forty-one ~

  Joe flinched as the shadows inside the ritual circle lurched, but he hadn’t needed to worry. Instead of transforming into chains or spikes or whatever it was trying to do, the darkness only… twitched. Like an involuntary muscle spasm. The Specter floated toward the edge of the ritual, crossing the boundary and charging Joe. Now Joe worried, turning and running to the outskirts of the room. The Warden kept moving far longer than Joe had hoped for, only drifting to the ground and shaking when he tried to follow Joe into the treasure room.

  “What did you do to me?” The Specter snarled, making wheezing noises. He looked back at the pool of darkness, pausing his words and sounding confused when he spoke next, “It… it isn’t dispersing? Where are the Shades? This place should be teeming with Shades now that I am out of the pool.”

  “That wasn’t a spell,” Joe told the greatly weakened Specter. “It was a ritual, specifically a ritual of containment. It was designed to keep you inside of it, and that darkness is the essence of you, is it not?”

  “Yes… and no.” The Warden didn’t move but still stared at the darkness. “How long will this last?”

  “This ritual isn’t really given a set limit. So long as it has mana, it will just continue to contain you–and that darkness–inside of it. It is drawing power from the darkness and is made of the darkness, so it will be very difficult for anyone to dispel or damage.” Joe didn’t mind explaining this; there was really almost no way for the Specter to surprise-

  “Kill me,” the Warden spoke to Joe with a voice full of longing. “I can finally be free of this cursed assignment without the need to force another to hold the Shadewell at bay.”

  “Why would I do that?” Joe questioned the being incredulously. “I have no idea if that would unleash the storm of creatures you seem to fear as much as you love to torment.”

  The Warden shook its head. “If they are not out right now, it is because they can’t get out. If I am gone, that ritual will remain in place. I am the mind… that is the body. It generates man
a, stamina, health. If you will not take my place… slay me.”

  “Is this why you are here? The only reason?” Joe prodded the Specter. “Or is there something else that will happen to the area with your demise?”

  “The reason I am here is because of all the truly evil prisoners I put behind bars!” the Warden spat furiously. “I devoted my career to ensuring that only the guilty were punished, and what thanks did I get? A dagger in the dark and a permanent posting.”

  “Why does this sound familiar?” Joe muttered, deep in thought. “You… how did you ensure that only the guilty were punished? What were you, before you were… this?”

  “I was the best investigator in this entire world. I created a spell, Dark Compulsion, which severely punished lies. Spells like ‘Compel Truth’ can be worked around, their gentle methods easy for the experienced to ignore. Some Nobles got scared as I closed in on their illegal trade, and the next thing I knew, I was free of my body and darkness was pouring off of me. My status as the Sage of Darkness–Sage Nocturnal–forcibly changed my race upon death.” The Warden spoke bitterly, his story obviously something that still caused him great pain.

  “Do you have a copy of this spell?” Joe bluntly verbalized.

  “It’s yours, as soon as you agree to kill me,” the Warden shot back with a hollow tone. All of the black mist he generated was constantly being pulled into the ritual circle, so Joe was able to see the damaged body that lay beneath. He shuddered to think that this could have been his future.

  Quest updated: Seeker of truth! An influential investigator met an untimely end due to his relentless pursuit of criminals. You have found him, but in return for his knowledge, he demands that you end his torment.

  “I will,” Joe promised, staring into the withered orbs this creature had for eyes.

  “Excellent.” The Specter chuckled softly. “There is a spell book detailing the spell’s creation in the treasure room on the bookshelf. That will teach you everything you want to know about it.”

  Joe moved his hand in a very slow slap across his own face. “Oh, you sneaky thing. A deal is a deal. Are you ready?”

  “For decades,” the Specter stated softly. “I pursued immortality, but now… I know it is not for me. Perhaps it will work out for you, though.”

  “I can only hope.” Mana billowed from Joe, wrapping around the Specter and collecting the darkness into a pillar around it. He took a moment to form the interior of the pillar into a variety of damaging spells then solidified it with all the mana that he could possibly use over the course of thirty seconds.

  One thousand mana invested! Oh-oh-Overkill! Seriously, he had ten health after being out of that ritual for so long. You have slain a Sage! The world at large weeps for the loss of a great pillar of knowledge, but one person… somewhere… begins to laugh. The benefit for the highest skill level in Dark Magic has been transferred! Exp gained: 8,000 (16,000 * .5 * Spectral Sage of Darkness x1)

  You have reached character level 11! Please note that your class level has not changed.

  “Gah! I should have come back when I wasn’t a prisoner!” Joe dropped to his knees and pounded on the floor. “Half freaking experience gained! No titles, nothing else? Seriously? This cursed dungeon!” He stood and went to the wall where the other members of his party had been pinned, but the days of inattention had proved fatal to all of them. After taking a few calming breaths, Joe turned and looked at the Specter’s corpse. Walking over, he reached out to move the body just as it fell to ashes, leaving behind a few items. After holding the items and doing his best to inspect them, Joe sat down and had to chuckle.

  Item gained: Robe of Liquid Darkness (Rare). Wearing this robe makes you look a bit wet but increases the power of dark affinity magic by 10%. Could use a wash, as it hasn’t had one in ERROR years.

  Item gained: Spatial Codpiece (Legendary). This functional piece of armor also serves a greater purpose; it is able to store thirty cubic meters worth of items. Goods must come within two inches of the armor to be stored but can be retrieved directly onto the body or into the hand as long as the codpiece is touching your skin. Adds 5 points to overall armor class and prevents blows from damaging your genitals entirely. Let’s just say your junk is safely stored.

  Item gained: Condensed Ectoplasm (Rare) x10. This is a thicker, more potent version of ectoplasm.

  Still laughing, Joe cast and channeled Cleanse on the black leather codpiece, surrounding it in a bubble of dark water as he scoured the surface with tiny particles of solidified darkness. After five minutes–and one final panic washing–he equipped the item. It was a… strange feeling, to say the least. He stored the robe, unsure if his method of washing it would damage the fabric.

  Then Joe walked into the treasure room. It took a while, but he emptied the place out entirely. If anyone else would have been able to see him, they would have been very concerned; Joe walked around thrusting his hips at things like Elvis. Those things then vanished. Not a super pretty mental image to have stored away.

  Quest updated: Seeker of truth! You have found a spell book detailing the methods used by the investigator of old. Return it to Boris to complete this quest!

  Right next to the spell book was a small and obviously aged ritual manual. Joe opened it, reading through it and nodding as he did so. Simple. It was such a simple ritual. He couldn’t believe that he didn’t think of it himself, but he was sure that he would have eventually. Just like that, Joe had learned the secrets of making spells into rituals.

  He felt validated in his choices and intelligent decisions; one of the most important components of this ritual was a spell scroll for the spell you wanted to convert to a ritual. It was like something had been guiding him along this path… his eyes narrowed as he thought back on his conversations with Tatum. Now a few things he had suggested were making sense. Tricky, tricky deity. Tatum had probably been trying to get around whatever rules he needed to follow but was unable to tell Joe to pursue scroll making directly.

  With the treasure room emptied, Joe looked around for an exit. First, he triple checked that the boiling pool of darkness wasn’t going anywhere. Then he stepped into the small room adjacent to what he assumed was the Warden’s very old office. Not finding anything worth looting in here, Joe was about to leave when he noticed that there was a familiar pattern on the floor in the corner. Stepping on it, he jumped lightly, vanishing with a clap of displaced air.

  ~ Chapter Forty-two ~

  “I recognize this place,” Joe muttered as he looked around a room that would be filled with impenetrable darkness for anyone else. “This is where they took me when we first entered the dungeon. So the exit should be right over there…”

  Going the opposite direction, Joe soon found himself walking up to the gates of the fortification. He knocked on the wooden defense, and the door opened to show some very irritated Royal Guards. “Prisoner, why are you on the wrong side of the gates?”

  “I cleared the dungeon, and it deposited me near the exit,” Joe explained succinctly, causing a few of the guards to appear concerned and the prisoners to perk up. “Since I am here willingly, I figured I should come back in here.”

  “Likely for the best, yes,” the guard admitted reluctantly. “We have never had anyone escape before, and it would have sullied our reputation instantly and irrevocably. *Ahem*. Thank you.”

  Feat of honor complete! 1100 (2200 * .5) Reputation gained with Ardania Royal Guard! New reputation rank: Reluctantly Friendly.

  The guard gestured to a building. “We have been waiting for you, actually; the Warden has been asking for you.”

  “The Warden is al-” Joe cut his panicked reply off. “Oh, right… the Warden. That Warden. Ha. Yeah, let’s go.”

  A few minutes of walking and waiting later, Joe stood once again in front of the Warden of the prison. “I see you have returned. Empty-handed as well, though you were gone for days and claim to have cleared the dungeon. Not that I would believe an inmate either way, but do
try to make your lies believable.”

  The Warden stopped, obviously trying to bait Joe into discussing his recent exploits. Joe certainly wasn’t going to fall for that and so maintained his silence. After an uncomfortable amount of time, the Warden finally broke the unhappy tranquility with a deep sigh. “Fine. Your hearing is scheduled for ‘immediate’, so prepare yourself for transport. Your lack of willing cooperation ensures that the ride will not be overly pleasant for you. Guards, take him to the High Court. Take him in the iron carriage.”

  The guard who had entered at his words nodded slightly and pulled Joe away by his arm. When they had left, the Warden–still looking at the door–spoke softly. “The Specter is defeated? The tide of Shades contained? There are no more true threats to us in the dungeon?”

  “Yes, Warden. The dungeon is fully under your control.”

  “Excellent.” The Warden got back to his paperwork, never glancing over at his subordinate. If he had, he may have seen a gleam of green fire shining through the eyes of his most trusted spy.

  On his way to the exit of the dungeon, Joe sighed at the thuggish look of the guards that were joining them. “Should I go ahead and assume that you were just ordered to beat me as we went to the castle?”

  “That would be a reasonable assumption,” the Royal Guard said without looking directly at him. “The iron carriage doesn’t have windows or seats or anything in it that would even be called remotely comfortable. However, it does have chains that dangle from the ceiling that will–with any bump or turn–push you into the spikes that are there to stop you from ‘escaping’. It is typically reserved for the most uncooperative of prisoners.”

  “Gotta tell you, I’m a big fan of walking. We could go for a light jog, maybe? Have you seen me skipping before? It’s funny. The castle isn’t that far away…” Joe tried to chuckle, but his voice was a bit too dry. Sounded more like a heavy wheeze.