Inflame (The Completionist Chronicles Book 6) Dakota Krout (sci fi books to read TXT) 📖

him across the face. Elfwyn was staring at him with cold, dead eyes. “How dare ya look me in the face, ya friggin’ worm? You’re a thousand years too early to be lookin’ at swan flesh. How did ya find us?”

Joe didn’t bother to answer, his eyes searching out the cat that the Elves had been attacking. He sighed in relief when he saw that it was gone; hopefully it had escaped. The Elf hit him again, getting another slap in retaliation but ignoring it. “How did you find us? The illusion is in place; can you pierce illusions?”

Exquisite Shell: 410/2346.

“I’m just the advance party. You were right; the whole Legion is looking for anyone that escaped.” Joe’s dark chuckle riled up the Elves, and they started to panic. All of them except Elfwyn.

“Relax, he just lied. He’s alone.” Elfwyn’s dismissal caused the others to calm down so fast that Joe realized she must have a spell that could detect lies. He started cursing in his mind, and prepared himself to head for respawn. “Let’s take him captive, and we’ll figure out what he’s doing. Human, work with us, and you can switch over to the Elven side. The winning side. Ya gotta realize that’s the truth, right?”

Mental Manipulation Resistance has rejected an attempt to enthrall you!

Joe went limp and read over the notification, apparently giving his eyes the correct ‘glazed’ look Elfwyn had been looking for. She set him down and started walking, and didn’t stop when he began following her. Elfwyn motioned for silence, and the group stepped into the hole in the ground.

As he entered, Joe was reminded of the tunnel that he had once taken to get to the Dwarven training area, but this time, he was paying close attention to what was going on. They walked for a short while, until they came to a branching path. Joe’s ears were ringing, and the noise got louder, the closer they came to the intersection. There was obviously something very hidden, or very enchanted, at that juncture. He only knew one thing for sure: he couldn’t go in there.

The group paused, looking around nervously as Elfwyn stepped forward and mana started to flow from her into… something. She smiled at Joe and sweetly stated, “Accept the prompt, my pet.”

Joe nodded slowly just before a notification appeared.

Elfwyn has started teleportating her party! Would you like to join her? Destination: Elven border fortress ‘Daffodil’ (minor). Yes / No.

Joe pressed ‘no’, just as every other Elf vanished in a stream of light that flashed down the tunnel like lightning. Or… “More like data that just entered a fiber optic cable.”

He knew it wouldn’t take them long to realize that he had not been enthralled, so Joe chased the sound he was hearing and frantically scraped at the rock and earth in his way. “Where is it, where is it?”

His hands reached hard stone, and he didn’t even realize what he was touching until a notification appeared.

Would you like to capture this travel shrine for Occultatum? Currently, it is dedicated to: Madame Chan- _ERROR_.

Would you like to capture this travel shrine for Occultatum? Currently, it is dedicated to: Gaia. Caution: There is only one Deity with representation in this Zone. Capturing a shrine may have unintended consequences. Yes / No.

Joe mashed ‘yes’, and his mana began to flow out of him. A perfect circle that formed this section of the tunnel melted away from the stone, and an open book-shaped shrine formed in the center of the tunnel.

Zone Alert! A second Deity has found representation on Zone 2 (Svaltarheim / Alfenheim). Speak to ‘Joe Candidate’ or find a place of power devoted to Occultatum to join the faction!

You have gained 100-

You have lost 100-

Caution. Several hundred messages detected. Aggregating messages… you have gained 3,167 reputation with the Dwarven Council. Current reputation: 3,314. You have reached ‘Friend’ status with the Dwarven Council.

You have lost 5,000 reputation with the Elven Nation! Reputation rank ‘Blood Feud’. Reputation rank cannot decrease further.

Joe stared at the messages in abject confusion. “What in the abyss did I just do?”

Chapter Twenty-Seven

“Well, kid, you’ve gone and done it now.” Havoc let out a sigh and a cloud of cigar smoke. They were back at what Joe had just learned was Havoc’s family estate in the Capital city of the Dwarves. “You let the abyssal gods loose on the world. We were so close to forcing Gaia out of here, and then the war would have been our own, instead of a great game for the bored people looking down from Valhalla.”

“And now people want to talk to me?” Joe guessed, going off the defeated air Havoc was exuding.

“Yes, people want to meet you,” The Dwarf spat, kicking a chair so hard that it slammed into the wall and shattered. Extra impressive, since it was wrought iron. “I need to give you your rewards first, so come with me. Also. A letter came for you, and it’s sealed with magic. So, here ya go, hurry up and read it.”

Joe glanced at the letter, but seeing Havoc’s interested leer, decided to open it later. This made Havoc’s mood worse, but he kept his cool as they walked, taking some time to go over the changes in Joe’s status. “You’ll be happy to hear that all outstanding debts are paid. Taking back that fort was almost laughably easy, and since the raid had been authorized in your name, you got all the credit.”

This made Joe remember that he would have received all the blame if he had failed, but Havoc powered onward. “That’s most of what we had to talk about. You’re all caught up. Adding an abyssal god to the mix changed this up as well, and paid off a chunk of my outstanding debts that had been made in your name as well. That’s why you likely got a reduced increase if you gained reputation. Oh, double check: you should have gained fifteen thousand experience as well for your