by Dakota Krout
REXUS
Side Quest in THE COMPLETIONIST CHRONICLES Series
Written by Dakota Krout
© 2018 Mountaindale Press. 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.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
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
Epilogue
Afterword
About Dakota Krout
About Mountaindale Press
Mountaindale Press Titles
GameLit and LitRPG
Fantasy
Appendix
Notable Characters
Jaxon’s Final Stats
Acknowledgments
There are many people who have given a huge amount of encouragement to me. An extra special thank you to Steven Willden, Nicholas Schmidt, Samuel Landrie, Justin Williams, Blas Agosto, Andrew Long, Dennis Vanderkerken, William Merrick, Mikeal Moffatt, Brayden Wallach, Tom Pachys, Zachary Meyers, John Grover, and all other Patreons for your support! You make everything I do just that much easier.
Thank you to all the people that have had a hand in this. To Aaron Crash, James Hunter, and Jeanette Strode for the original concept and to Valerie Reed for the sketch that resulted in my favorite cover. To Dylan Schnabel and all my beta readers, everything you do helps make this project better and helps me create an awesome story!
Thank you to my wonderful wife, who not only encouraged me to write but joined me in the terrifying leap of self-employment. Now we work harder than we ever have, but I’m so blessed because I get to spend every single day with you and our beautiful daughter.
Lastly, a heartfelt thanks to you, my reader. My next book is only ever able to come out because of your continued support! Cheers to you and Happy New Year!
Chapter One
Jaxon looked out at the Wolfmen pouring out of the forest and across the no-man’s land, careful not to show his glee. The people around him were nervous, unprepared for a battle of this scale to continue as long as it had. Jaxon simply had a different outlook on things than they did; this was hundreds, no, thousands of creatures seeking his professional opinion on their skeletal structure! He could easily have told them all that their posture was so poor due to their constant hunching, but they seemed to need more aggressive treatment plans than a stern talking to would entail.
As he worked on his new patients with his fists, Jaxon noticed that the people around him had changed what they were shouting about. He had no idea why everyone else around him was getting all worked up over a silly little thing like the King taking the field; the monarch was only blocking a small portion of the foes from closing in. “Don’t worry, friends! There will still be plenty for the rest of us! He can’t fight them all!”
Jaxon punched, poked, and applied acupressure on each of the Wolfmen within arms’ reach, just as he had since the start of this unfortunate little conflict.
“Hey! Come back here. We haven’t finished!” Jaxon’s patient was trying to seek a second opinion from his colleague Bard, but the axe-wielding Skald wasn’t paying attention. The Monk was sure that the Wolfman was only going to tap Bard on the shoulder and ask him to change the song he was singing, but Jaxon decided to remind the hairy beast that he needed to focus on his own physical health first. “Adjust!”
The Wolfman Warrior yelped as his back was forcibly straightened, Jaxon’s class skill using each ‘stack’ he had applied on that location to increase the power of the adjustment. “Ah, excellent! Now, Mr. Wolfman, thank you for paying attention properly. If you notice, your posture has improved remarkably! Look how much faster your attacks are moving! Wow! The force you are able to muster behind those blows has increased by almost thirty percent! You should seek regular treatment from me.”
The Wolfman attempted to give Jaxon the highest of ‘high-fives’ in thanks, but he must have forgotten that he was holding a sword. Jaxon stepped out of the way, making sure to maintain a smile so he didn’t make the beastman too nervous to schedule an appointment in the near future. “Oh. Oh, dear. It seems someone stabbed my new patient and threw him over the wall. I don’t have business cards yet! I’m Jaxon!”
Skill increased: Contortionist’s Dodge (Student VI).
Skill increased: Wolfman Skeletal Structure (Apprentice III).
He wasn’t sure if he was heard over the din of battle, but viral marketing was ‘in’ these days. And new skills! How nice! Jaxon did enjoy the feedback the game gave him for doing things in a better way. It was always pleasant to know that his skill in a given field was so easily quantified and measured, even when it was as esoteric a subject as knowledge of skeletons. He decided to check on his skills soon to review their abilities; it was always fun to see what the system credited him with.
Something had changed—what was that? Jaxon’s vision was suddenly blocked by a new notification, which informed him that the human King had defeated the Wolfman Warlord. Jaxon was finally able to wave away the screen–for some reason it had seemed to be stuck in place–until it was gone, he had shifted around in a small area, expecting to need to dodge various attacks. “Lot of information in that notification! Well, no time to read through the entirety of the message right now, I got the gist of it. Now, where are... hey! My patients are all fleeing! Not again! Come back, Wolfies! There is still so much to learn!”
“Ha, ha!” Bard bellowed a chest-deep laugh. “Ye tell ‘em, Jax! That’s right, ye big furballs! Come back anytime an’ we’ll teach ye a good lesson!”
There were cheers around them as Bard shouted, which made Jaxon’s smile grow wider. He had just learned that the people around him were so nice! Offering to teach people that had been considered racial enemies until this point? Jaxon knew people could get over their animosity to each other, and he supposed that it wasn’t uncommon for young men to get along better after fighting.
“I’ve never been prouder of humanity than right… what’s that?” Jaxon turned and looked at the field of battle just in time to see a wash of white light and heat rolling toward him.
You have died! Calculating… you lose 1,400 experience! You have lost a character level! Time remaining until respawn… 18 in-game hours or nine real-world hours. Time until respawn has been increased by 50% for being in an active war zone!
Jaxon blinked and found himself in a white room with a bean-bag sitting in the center. “I seem to have died. How unfort
unate.”
Still, he was pleased that this death was seemingly painless; the majority of his deaths in this game had been quite excruciating. Jaxon had even burned to death once, lasting nearly a full thirty seconds as he tried to get to the exit of the building he had expected to explode. He had hoped for a painless death during his self-sacrifice, but…
“Quickly, quickly! What should I do now? I have a few hours to use, and I’d hate to waste them. Which subject to study? What experiment to run?” Jaxon had no real interest in most of the political goings-on in the game, and it seemed that the camera feeds from his friends were offline, so… perhaps he would review his character information. No, wait! It was very likely that he would gain some experience when he rejoined the game, so Jaxon decided to review his skills instead of looking at his stat sheet. Otherwise, he would not be seeing his most updated characteristics and might feel disheartened. Let’s see… what was that command? Ah, yes. “Show full skill sheet.”
Acupressure (Expert VII). You have reached a high understanding of the application of pressure to the body. Whether with your hands, knives, or needles, you are able to use this knowledge to either hurt or heal. +1% bonus to the healing and harming effects of acupressure per level. +2% critical damage per skill level when attacking acupressure points.
Adjust (Class skill) (Expert IX). Their bones are wrong! You know it even if they don’t. When people have poor posture, they are damaging themselves! You can either correct or exacerbate these issues by striking joints. Each consecutive strike on a joint will add a stack of ‘adjust’ on that location. The base damage of ‘adjust’ is 5, and each stack adds damage by 5X, where X=number of stacks.
For example, consuming three stacks will deal 15 points of damage. When using this skill to correct issues, each stack will add only 1 point of damage. Bonuses for adjustment depends on how poorly adjusted the target was as well as how often they have been adjusted. Activating this skill will consume all current stacks. Cost: 100-n stamina, where n=skill level. Extra effect gained at Expert rank: You may now have stacks accruing on any number of targets at the same time, though still only one location per target.
Aerial acrobatics (Beginner I). This is a subskill of ‘Jump’ and boosts the effectiveness of any mid-air movements. Masters of this skill have been known to remain in the air long enough to cross canyons, and Sages are rumored to be able to walk on clouds. Ease of movement while in the air increases by dexterity+2n% until the end of the beginner ranks, where n=skill level.
Cloth Armor Mastery (Beginner V). Bulky, metal armor is not for you, and leather chafes. Cloth armor was the choice for you! Each skill level increases armor rating and stamina regen by 1% when wearing only cloth armor. As a bonus, being naked or wearing just underclothes counts! Lucky you, not so lucky society!
Contortionist’s Dodge (Student VI). Are your bones made of rubber, your muscles of elastic? You are moving toward perfecting your physical form, and you have found that not getting hit is an important factor in staying alive. Using this skill, you are able to minimize the chance of any part of your body taking a blow by simply bending that specific portion out of the way. Bending is increased by 1% per skill level.
Human Anatomy (Expert III). Through rigorous schooling and study, you have increased your knowledge of human anatomy. This skill impacts all forms of damage and healing to the human body. All effects increased by 1% per skill level.
Intimidation (Journeyman I). You have learned that the most efficient method of dealing with people is saying exactly what you want. Honesty is key, and people have learned to respect that! This skill allows you to make new friends, gain better prices at shops, and speed up conversation. Sometimes people will even give you money for no particular reason! +2% chance to make a new friend, gain money, and get better prices per skill rank. Caution, sometimes people are afraid of the truth and will get mad about how friendly you are. They may even call guards to attack you!
Jump (Beginner IX). You have learned how to effectively use your body to cross distances that remaining firmly on the ground will not allow! Whether you are leaping across a ravine or hopping to get something off the top shelf, you find that you are able to go just a little further. Jump height or length is determined by Strength+n, where n=skill level. Stamina costs for jumping vary but decrease at a rate of .5n%. Test your limits often!
Wolfman Skeletal Structure (Apprentice III). Through rigorous testing, mainly trial and error, you have increased your knowledge of the best placement of bones in Wolfmen. Sometimes they can be ungrateful of your efforts, but your work is important! Ease of adjustments and damage to Wolfman skeletons increased by 1% per skill level.
Jaxon nodded along as he read through his skills. They were all very important to him, and he usually didn’t go out of his way to acquire new ones. He had heard people talking about having a huge list of skills, but Jaxon found that these nine were the ones that had the most impact on himself and what he did. Why would the Monk bother to learn a bunch of useless things that he wouldn’t use regularly?
He supposed that he could take on a hobby or something but was far more interested in perfecting his craft. Imagine what he could do as a Sage of Adjusting? Or of acupressure! Jaxon could heal with a touch, disable with a poke, and contort with a flick!
Feeling better about his life choices so far, Jaxon next decided to skim through a forum he rarely visited. The main reason for his hesitancy was that he found their practices… distasteful, but they were very thorough. As the video flickered to life, a man with an Australian accent appeared. He was currently dissecting a Wolfman and carefully going through all of its weak points. At least the poor beast was dead this time around; that made it easier to watch.
Jaxon listened in and took notes whenever the man found a nerve cluster, needing that knowledge to properly apply pressure or deal critical hits. The lecture only lasted about an hour before the video ended, so Jaxon sifted through the internet searching for new theories, experimentation, and above all else, any advancement in chiropractic medicine or acupuncture.
As per usual, there was not too much that was new to him. This type of medicine hadn’t changed much in the first thousand years of its existence, but it had been refined nicely in the last hundred or so. He must have nodded off during all of his study because the next thing he heard was the sound of the portal to Eternia opening. Jaxon hesitated to enter right away, though he wanted to get back to the world soon. He had been doing well in his studies and had found a few other interesting points that he wouldn’t be able to study without internet access.
He typed out a message and sent it to his team leader, Joe. Staying out of the game for up to a few days, doing some research.
The response from Joe was nearly instantaneous, not surprising since the game was running twice as fast as the real world. No problem, I’m out of commission for a while anyway. Learning to regrow limbs.
“Wow! What an inspiration!” Jaxon resolved to use the next few days to progress to a point where he could do amazing things as well. He went through some forums describing commodity sales and stocks in the game and put in a large order for various supplies and such that he would eventually use to bolster his strength. Jaxon looked into build guides, debunked min-max reports, and various issues that gamers had all run into, resolving to avoid them by learning of them ahead of time.
A few sleep cycles later, Jaxon decided that he was going to start falling behind if he didn’t get back into the game and get a move on. Smiling happily, he stood and stalked over to the rift in the air, jumping through without hesitation. It was time to see what had happened to his friends.
Chapter Two
A thought-provoking fact: no matter how Jaxon entered the portal from his respawn room—in this case, a half-twist barrel roll—he always came out upright and walking. He had no idea when the transition happened, so he had been attempting greater feats of acrobatics whenever he died. It was a morbid thought, but his goal was to someday catch th
e moment of transition after death! Jaxon didn’t know what he would do with that information, but he was sure something useful would come from it. Speaking of things coming up, the Monk was nearly knocked off his feet as a wall of text assaulted his senses.
Quest complete: Shatter a People. The Human Nation has prevailed against the Wolfman Tribes! Congratulations to you all but especially to the participants. The top three players who contributed to the overall success of this quest will gain a Noble title and a gift of land. In order of contribution, please congratulate: Joe Anti-Mage, Aten Commander, and BackAttack Beastbane.
Jaxon Legend, while not in the top 10 contributors, you have earned the maximum reward possible for your contribution! Reward: 50,000 Exp and 10,000 gold to your personal account. Play on and do great things!
Jaxon grinned widely as he read the information. He loved his notifications; they were so nice to him! Joe had complained a few times that his were either mean or snarky, but Jaxon didn’t have that issue. Perhaps he was just less easily offended?
“Oh… oh! Ugh~h~h~h!” Jaxon let out a scream—or perhaps a moan—of pleasure as the overdose of euphoria washed over him. He was leveling up and up and up! Golden light burst from his body as he was lifted into the air. Jaxon was getting a few disgusted looks, but the majority of people were smiling.
This must be a common occurrence right now, with so many dying right before getting their reward. Thinking about the rush he just felt, Jaxon shook his head wryly. There’s no way that wasn’t addictive, and even knowing that… he was already thinking about what he would need to do to gain a new level as he settled back on the ground. Progression just felt too dang good to pass up.
Now that his mind was clear once more, he tried to remember what he gained each level. He wanted to look at his character sheet and be fully excited, not trying to determine the values. As a Monk, Jaxon gained three free characteristic points per three levels or a point per level that Jaxon received access to on the third level, depending on how you looked at it. He was also automatically granted one point of dexterity, strength, and luck every even level. A fairly standard arrangement as far as he could tell.