Untapped ~ Chapter Twelve!

Jogging along the primitive road fast enough that each step kicked up a small cloud of dust, Joe grit his teeth as he tried to take deep, even breaths. The midday sun was glinting off his shiny head, scintillating slightly as it refracted off his Exquisite Shell—the magical protection itself far weaker than it normally was, due to his Characteristics being so heavily degraded. Each time he swung his arms, they felt heavier than they had any right to, and the fact that he was sweating from the effort felt deeply humbling.

“At least my Neutrality Aura is working correctly to clean that away, or I'd have to figure out how to take a shower like a normal person before seeing my mother this afternoon.” Joe grumbled the words aloud, mostly for the benefit of some ambient noise as he hurried along the path. “Nearly a hundred points down across the board; it's like trying to swim through icy water, with the same mental degradation.”

Years ago, he’d been into cold plunges after exercise, and while ‘experts’ promised it was great for his health, there was always a long chunk of time after getting out when his mind felt just as sluggish as it did at this moment. “No wonder people from higher worlds don't bother coming all the way down here usually. I thought it was just because the resources weren't worth getting, but it's really because it's just so… uncomfortable.”

Still, underneath everything else, the strain, the fogginess, the pinpricks of needles pulling at his skin as he walked, there was a reminder of something else: opportunity.

If the gear worked the way it was supposed to, that meant every grueling step, every slowed thought, even catching his balance in a lucky way after tripping over exposed roots was effective training he would see the benefits of after returning to a world that could handle his full power. Just for something to occupy himself with, the Ritualist pulled open the remaining notifications he hadn't yet read over.

Caution! You have access to an immense amount of power, even without your Characteristics being at their full capacity. Therefore, additional restrictions apply. Any spells or combat-focused skills at the Master rank or above have the potential to warp the ambient mana of Midgard. Please note that each usage will destabilize the region, and without taking proper precautions, you may initiate a level cap shift for this zone, if you are incautious. 

If you use a single Master-ranked combat spell, skill, or ritual, the area directly around your person will become warped with turbulent mana. This effect will fade after 12 hours, so long as you do not use another similarly ranked spell. If you do, the local area mana field will become turbulent, and the time needed for it to fade will double.

From there, a third usage will impact a region, approximately the size of a Town, and large enough to affect local weather or terrain. A fourth usage will impact a domain level area, enough to shift the balance of power in a kingdom or nation. A fifth usage may make the effects permanent… but a sixth is guaranteed to do so. 

Please note, using a Grandmaster or higher ranked spell a single time will bring the turbulence to the cusp of permanence, if proper protections are not put in place.

Once a world-altering amount of power has been used, the structure, rules, and fate of Midgard will shift drastically. This may include opening portals to dangerous dungeons or locations, destroying or forming continents, and includes the formation and spawning of Tyrant-class monsters. 

Joe read over the information twice, once to get it down and a second time to ensure he understood it. “So, this is actually a challenge set up as a warning. I wonder what level I’ll need to achieve with my skills to use all of them without concern.”

Already, he was planning out an expansion of his Ritualistic Forging production, his thoughts touching on creating massive, permanent stabilizing arrays with his forged equipment. Thus far, he had mainly focused on temporary setups, but if he had a chance of accidentally breaking the place just by doing what he normally did… well, he had no interest in being hunted by all of humanity. Again. “What’s a Tyrant-type monster? That sounds like a fun thing for someone else to deal with.”

The flags flapping on the walls of Ardania began to peek over the treetops as Joe closed in on the city, growing steadily closer as he ran with his nearly inexhaustible Stamina. After another ten minutes, they’d only gotten a bit closer, so he let his mind wander over his status sheet as he crossed the remaining distance.

Name: Joe ‘Monarch of Mana' Class: Reductionist

Profession I: Arcanologist (Max)

Profession II: Ritualistic Alchemist (7/20)

Profession III: Grandmaster’s Apprentice (15/25)

Profession IV: Ritualistic Metalworker (3/20)

Profession V: Ritualistic Numerologist Novitiate (1/5)

Profession VI: Arcane Enchanting Theorist (0/5)

Character Level: 30 Exp: 465,000 Exp to next level: 31,000 (Locked.)

Rituarchitect Level: 13 Exp: 87,450 Exp to next level: 3,550

Reductionist Level: 10 Exp: 59,900 Exp to next level: 6,100. Talk to Occultatum for a Specialization reward!

Hit Points: 1,999/1,999

Mana: 5,610/7,310

Mana regen: 63.94/sec 

Stamina: 1,590/1,590

Stamina regen: 6.5/sec

Characteristic: Capped Score

Strength (bound): 150 

Dexterity: 150 

Constitution (bound): 150 

Light Intelligence (bound): 150

Wisdom: 150 

Dark Charisma: 150 

Karmic Perception: 150 

Luck: 150 

Karmic Luck: 99

Just as he finished reading over his status, Joe had to throw himself to the side as his attention returned to the road. Instead of slamming directly into a small adventuring party cheerfully making their way toward the gates in the distance, he instead found himself wrapped around the trunk of a tree next to the road. Bark fell to the ground around him like hail as he let out a soft groan and pushed himself back to his feet, taking a moment to appreciate the Joe-shaped indentation he’d left in the wooden surface.

Exquisite Shell: 11,869/11,919.

“Ouch, terrain damage is no joke. Fifty points for running into a tree?” He turned around, meeting the wide eyes of the small adventuring party just as their jaws dropped. “Hi there! Sorry, didn't mean to startle you.”

“No. Way.” One of them slowly lifted a square device, holding it with shaky hands as he pointed it at Joe. It had been so long since he’d seen something similar that the Ritualist didn't react quickly enough to escape before there was a loud *click* and a flash of light. “You're the guy. Thought you were straight-up tapped out, mate.”

“Did you just take my picture?” Joe was utterly dumbfounded as the small group slowly backed away from him, the person holding what appeared to be a simplistic version of a phone nodding very slowly, as though trying not to startle a wild animal. “Why? What possible reason would you have-”

“Look, being an Influencer is a perfectly legal profession.” The man's open hand slowly drifted toward the small screen, making Joe’s eyes bulge.

“Don't you dare-” Before he could finish his words, the unknown man's finger tapped on his device, and soft *pings* could be heard from the pockets of his teammates. Joe took a deep breath in through his nose, closing his eyes and clapping his hands in front of his face. “How many people did you just send that to?”

“Now all of Ardania knows you are here,” the man whispered softly, as though trying to find the courage to stand up to Joe but having his voice fail him. 

“It's fine for me to be here!” the Ritualist tried to defend himself. “I'm not exiled anymore; you don't need to worry about-”

He trailed off as a notification appeared in front of his face, glowing with golden light and having trumpets on either side appear and let out a bugling cry. 

Hear ye, hear ye! Mandatory Quest received!

Joe, the Monarch of Mana, has been summoned to the Royal Court to present himself before the king and queen of Ardania! 

Time limit: 2 hours.

Reward for Quest completion: unknown. Upon quest failure, the previous state of ‘exile’ will be reinstated. 

“Seriously? Come on, guy. I was on my way to see my mom.” Joe leveled a death glare at the no-longer-trembling member of the small group, who was now glancing at his phone and relaxing as a broad smile appeared on his face. “Let me guess, you just got a ridiculous amount of profession experience, didn't you?”

“Oh yeah.” The smug grin rapidly widened further. “I even got a multiplier, thanks to being the first influencer to gain the attention of the crown!”

“Hey, that's cool. As soon as I figure out how to do it, I'm going to find you and put a nasty little curse on you.” Joe showed the man a thumbs up, then a less socially acceptable gesture, and he stomped away toward the gates of the city. “Hope you still think it'll be worth it.”

Thanks to the… Influencer, his walk into the city was accompanied by the standard crowd going quiet and parting in front of him as though he were carrying a contagion, leaving plenty of space for him to march along the stone road. A subtle extension of his mana trailing out along behind him revealed a full squad of city guardsmen following him from a distance, but he didn't bother to look back—mainly because they were providing him a service by quickly intercepting anyone who started walking toward the Ritualist with a thunderous expression on their face.

“Looks like I haven't lost all my reputation with the guards,” Joe murmured quietly as he strolled along toward the palace. “I'll have to make sure to swing by the barracks and fix up any issues they might be having.” 

Even with his degraded state, Joe’s casual jogging speed was comparable with a trotting horse, so in no time flat, he was climbing the wide marble steps of the palace then being led through the gilded halls as the city guardsman handed off their escort duty to the Royal guardsmen, who were in turn replaced by the Throneguard—the force tasked with protecting the king and queen directly, so they wouldn’t need to take action on their own. Finally, he was stopped just outside the throne room itself, where a bored-looking official waved him toward a chair, pulling out a long scroll at the same time. 

“Greetings, Joe the Ritualist, Monarch of Mana, Tatum's Chosen Legend, the Architect of-”

“Please don't read all of my titles out to me.” Joe interrupted as politely as possible, his eyes taking in the ticking-down timer that hadn't stopped even though he had entered the palace. “Unfortunately, I’m in a bit of a rush.”

“As you wish, good sir! By sovereign will and the binding decree of the rulers of Ardania, let it be known throughout all corners of this blessed realm that Joe the Ritualist, Monarch of Mana-”

*Ahem.* Joe loudly coughed into his fist, and luckily the herald understood the message, skipping ahead a few lines. 

“-Unifier of the Human World of Midgard, Beloved of the Bifrost, has at long last returned to Ardania!”

“I already knew that,” Joe muttered as the herald continued shouting into the echoing hallway. “Actually, how do you know all those titles? They aren’t equipped?”

“Spies. *Ahem!* By decree of his most noble majesty, King Henry the Unyielding, and her infinite grace, Queen Marie the Forty-seventh Apocalypse, Joe the Ritualist’s burden of exile, nobly borne and fulfilled, has officially been lifted. Henceforth, let no man, woman, or beast cast doubt upon his right to walk these lands as a stalwart ally of the kingdom! Let the bells toll and the banners fly! Let his deeds be spoken of with reverence and no longer in hushed fear, for he is no longer considered by the crown as a vagabond or villain, with a name only spoken of in rumors and hushed whispers, but a man whose path forward shall be in lockstep with the will of the realm as his feats continue to unfold beneath the magnanimous-”

Joe waited as politely as possible until the herald finally allowed his scroll to snap shut with a flourish, a bright smile on his now-sweaty face. “Now, Joe the Ritualist, please take a seat and relax until the monarchs are available to meet with you sometime within the next few days. A room shall be prepared-”

The man's voice trailed off as Joe shook his head, his index finger tapping on the timer only he could see. “Look, I really love the theatrics, but I got a quest to see them in the next… now only about half an hour. Do you mind if I just pop in there?”

“Do I mind? Do I mind?” The herald puffed up, his face going red as he took a deep breath, only to have it catch in his throat as a deep voice rumbled from behind the door, shaking the very flagstones of the palace.

“Enough of that, just let him in.” The voice, though thunderous and firm, held an amused undertone.

“As his majesty commands!” The herald practically fell over himself in an effort to get out of the way before the Thronesguardmen threw the doors open.

Joe strolled into the massive, almost entirely empty chamber. Searching the ornate area, he compared the silent, echoing space to the last time he’d been there: on trial for releasing an eldritch ritual which had sent thousands of people into a respawn cycle and likely slain many, many more who didn't have the chance to come back to life. Finally, he looked to the thrones, where two statue-like figures were sitting, and bowed slightly at them politely. “Good to see you again. I've got to say, I like this space better without the crowds of nobles howling for blood.”

The twin doors shut behind him with a boom, and the Ritualist finally learned why he had been granted a private audience. To his great surprise, both the king and queen rose from their seats and stepped down, a blast of air and a wall of intense pressure setting his robes flapping while simultaneously filling him with the urge to kneel. Joe resisted, curious as to why they were moving around so casually, when before they had always done their utmost to remain perfectly still.

“Told you.” Marie gently slapped the back of her hand onto King Henry's shoulder. “Look at him, he's not even buckling.”

“Have you climbed higher than Jotunheim, Joe?” King Henry questioned excitedly, ignoring the love tap from his wife. “Did you go to Muspelheim or Vanaheim first? Don’t tell me you managed to get into-”

“Let’s not badger our guest, Henry,” Queen Marie murmured. “Give him a chance to answer.” 

For the next short while, Joe and the monarchs spoke together, the stiff, ceremonial air that had marked the beginning of their meeting quietly melting away. At first, the conversation had been stilted, due to habit and the presumed necessity of etiquette, but as he told his tale, it shifted into something more natural. Eventually, he even found himself laughing and sympathizing with the king as the monarch lamented about having once accidentally caused a nobleman to pass out by breathing too hard. 

“You know, a lot of people like to romanticize what it's like to be at the highest peak of power on a world.” Queen Marie shook her head and let out a deep sigh, causing the windows in the room to rattle. “But I tell you what, it's quite difficult to have friends or even people we can consider peers when we aren't allowed to lower our Characteristics below two hundred and fifty. Even with as careful as we are, sometimes our passive abilities can crush someone, if we aren't remaining perfectly focused.”

“System forbid we actually laugh at a joke.” King Henry snorted, sending a blast of dust off the rafters. “Last time I did that, I needed to pay for a dozen people’s healing when I ruptured their eardrums.” 

Eventually, the conversation petered out, and silence stretched between them, though it wasn't uncomfortable—especially now that Joe’s countdown clock had ended. The king reached out and gently gripped Joe’s shoulder. “Anyway, I suppose we should get to business. Ready to get your rewards?”

“Say what now?” Joe blinked at the sudden shift in the direction of their chat. 

“You know, all the rewards you should have gotten way back when you got an exile instead.” Queen Marie mirrored her husband but took it a step further and gave Joe’s shoulder a sympathetic squeeze… breaking his collarbone and nearly liquefying his trapezius before letting go as he let out a pained gasp. “Oh no! I'm so sorry! You were just dealing with the suppression so well, I didn't think-”

Exquisite Shell: 0/11,919

Health: 1,421/1,999

“It's fine!” Joe wheezed as the last sparkles of his Exquisite Shell faded into glimmering motes of mana around him. “Lay on hands!”

His crushed shoulder reinflated, and his collarbone aligned with a *ping* he could feel down to his toes. To his surprise, the healing spell increased to Expert level three at the same time. “Huh. Must have been right at the edge of increasing for a long time. When's the last time I actually used that spell?”

“A-as I was saying,” the queen stammered in relief as Joe worked his shoulder to test its range of motion. “Now that you have officially completed your exile, we can reward you as we wanted to be able to do.”

“I feel like you've given me enough, even if it was a little under the table?” Joe stated carefully, intentionally not stepping away from the lady who could deal nearly twelve thousand damage with a light touch. He didn't want to break the tentative bonds of camaraderie they’d managed to form. 

“That's the thing, now we can reward you publicly,” the king smoothly interjected when he noticed the queen was still staring at the Ritualist guiltily. “On that note, I am pleased to give you three gifts. First, a tier-five advancement mandate for your guild. This is the first time we've issued one of these… ever. It's a unique opportunity and allows for a guild with a power rating similar to a small kingdom to exist within our borders. I'm certain I don't need to explain to you the potential political ramifications of misusing this chance. Normally, you'd have to be on an otherwise uninhabited world or continent, or having a power base like this would provoke an act of war against you.”

Joe solemnly accepted the document, which seemed to have been made from a combination of gold, silver, and electrum. He quickly slipped the metal plate, buzzing with power, away before anyone could change their mind, and stepped back, ready to leave… only to realize they weren’t done yet.

“Next is a land claim token for you to use.” Queen Marie arched an eyebrow at him. “Whatever land you claim with this will be considered yours and can't be associated with your guild like the token you gave your previous assistant. I highly recommend bringing this to the edge of the kingdom at the minimum and using it to expand our borders. It will place approximately twenty miles of land under your direct control, depending on water boundaries and terrain. If we inspect and find that you have cultivated your land well, we may expand the amount of territory under your control.”

“That sounds…” Joe hesitated as he stared at the shining token with concern. “That doesn't sound like something you can just casually give out.”

“Not to any commoner,” the king agreed with a sly grin. “Which brings us to your last reward. Kneel.” 

Marie smacked her husband’s arm, the sound reminiscent of the scaffolding at a construction site falling to the ground. “He’s just kidding.” 

“Ha! I am, and it feels good to do it. Congratulations, Joe. Upon using this land claim token, you will officially become the newest duke of Ardania.” The king raised a hand before Joe could react. “Don't get too excited, as you still have us, the crown prince, grand princes and princesses, and a series of archdukes above you in the peerage. We decided that, as your third reward for defeating the Wolfman nation and securing our position, we would give you recognition and a measure of protection against retaliation for previous… perceived indiscretions. You will be able to call on the kingdom for aid, and we will be able to call on you.”

Queen Marie lifted a hand before Joe could say anything else. “Now get out of here. If I have to hear one more petition from your mother to bring you back, I might close the bifrost just to force you to stay.”