Inflame (The Completionist Chronicles Book 6), Dakota Krout [free novels to read TXT] 📗

“Not exactly something that I'd lie about,” the High Priestess stated haughtily. “‘You’re moving too fast, and you need to prepare yourself with what you have gained. You have much hidden within’. Those were his words, sent to me during a group session just now.”

When a literal deity told you to take stock of the situation, it behooved you to listen. Joe’s bald forehead furrowed as he pondered what had changed for him recently. “Dawnesha, I’m going to use you as a sounding board.”

“As you need, Champion.” Her answer startled Joe; it was far from the arrogance that she had displayed during their first meeting, or even at the start of this conversation.

“In the last few days, I’ve learned that I can create potent effects with more than just the base materials I have access to… I can empower them beyond the scope of their original purpose by adding in additional… I suppose ‘intent’ is the word for it? They are still aspects, but their purpose is singular, and not quite as clinically correct as I wished them to be. They seem to mutate what I create. Those are the biggest changes, and only time will tell what all I can do with them. What I can create… what I can change. Time for experimentation that I don’t have right now.”

Dawnesha said nothing, only closing her eyes in silent contemplation. It was then that Joe remembered that she was the third princess of the Dwarven Oligarchy. “Oh, and I found a major fort hidden in Gramma’s Shoe. There’s a massive invasion that has been hidden behind an illusion, and now that I’ve escaped, I can’t imagine that the war will slow down so I can run some quality tests.”

“They’re where?” At this, the Dwarves’ eyes snapped open, filled with fury, not the concern that he had been expecting. “You’re certain? You are. They dare to desecrate our memorial to Gramm’mama! Dwarves!”

Her last word rang through the temple, capturing the attention of everyone present. “We move to war! The Elves have invaded and have stepped into Gramma’s Shoe! Their trespass has inflamed her ankle, perhaps even being the reason she erupts so violently! This atrocity will be repaid with what, in more peaceful times, would be war crimes! Alert your closest Legion, and upon the words and authority of Candidate Joe, backed by my own as Princess… I hereby mobilize the Dwarven Oligarchy!”

The room exploded into noise, shouting back a singular phrase that Joe hadn’t been expecting them to cheer:

“War Crimes!”

It was an… odd choice for a rousing battle cry, but Joe could get behind it. Mostly. Slightly uneasily. Probably wouldn’t be his first choice when going forward. Not exactly a slogan you could put on a shirt and wear in public.

Dark Charisma +10! Your words have incited violence on an unprecedented scale! Better hope you’re not wrong! If they can’t find someone to fight, they’ll turn on you in an instant.

“Well, that’s foreshadowing if I’ve ever seen it,” Joe grumpily acknowledged the message. “I need to assume that the illusion is still active, and that it will turn away the Legion if we get close. I need to start making contingency plans.”

“Joe,” Dawnesha’s voice halted him once more, “I didn’t understand all of your talk on ‘aspects’, but… I don’t think that was exactly what Occultatum was talking about. I cannot be certain, I think that there was a subtext of a thing. Not a revelation.”

“That.” Joe paused and thought for a moment, unable to come up with anything she could be speaking about. “I don’t know. Perhaps I need to work on my Ritual Orbs?”

She shrugged helplessly. “Anything I know, you also know at this point. Occultatum is an enigma wrapped in a mystery, and his words can be difficult to parse.”

Joe thanked her, then paused as he saw something on her robe. A sigil. Specifically the sigil of Tatum, that gave favor when gaining experience. Then he realized that he had never equipped it after getting a new outfit… back on Midgard. Screaming internally, he opened his menu and activated it, and the silver book appeared on his chest. Dawnesha smiled at that, calling after Joe as he left, “May knowledge find you, wherever you may hide.”

“I don’t know what that means!” he called back, hurrying to get to the door. The human rushed along the streets of the capital, somehow feeling… slower. He frowned down at his bare feet, only protected thanks to a shimmering shell, and realized that he had once again had an enchanted item destroyed only a short while after gaining it. Perhaps an awkward trip to the Odds and Ends was in order in the near future?

Dwarves were zipping past him on the roads, but Joe didn’t allow his mind to wander. He needed to get to Havoc and let him know what was going on. After skidding to a halt in front of the estate, he pounded on the door and waited for the inevitable retribution from the golems composing the door. As he expected, a spike drove out of the door, aimed directly at his face. An orb slammed into it, breaking off the weakened metal and causing the door to whimper like a kicked dog. “Wait… do golems feel pain?”

Havoc slammed the door open and glared at Joe. A cloud of cigar smoke billowed out with the sudden change in air pressure, and the Dwarf’s bloodshot eyes dug into Joe. “No. They are made to make sad noises like that so that some moron will sympathize with them long enough for the golem to get another attack in. You have one chance… what?”

“Quest complete?” Joe nervously told the Dwarf, who looked to the side and off into the distance. He recognized that stare. “Wait, do you have access to a status screen… nevermind. Stupid question.”

“No stupid questions.” Havoc thoughtfully absorbed whatever information he was reading, then turned his attention back to the human. “Only stupid