The Kartoss Gambit (The Way of the Shaman: Book #2) (43 page)

"A great idea!" Beth exclaimed. "That's how we'll do it! We still have an hour until it's time, so let's decide on how we'll capture the monster."

"The beast is a lot higher than level 100," I put in. "I once caught it in a level 100 Bone Trap, but it barely took any notice of it. We need something more powerful to hunt it down."

"Over 100 levels?" the Headman looked thoughtful. "This isn't very good news. All right, we'll think of something." He got up and left the room. While Beth's gaze followed him out, Tisha came up to the table and took her amulet. As soon as she picked it up, as small cloud enveloped the girl and, after it dissipated, there was a Vagren standing next to us. Or a Vagrenette, even.

"What do you think?" barked Tisha, giving a hoarse laugh. Her low chesty voice was very unlike the bubbling stream of the girl's speech in her human guise.

"An ordinary Vagren," I shrugged. "One head, four paws, one tail. I can't be sure, but since you're not scratching yourself, you have no fleas."

"Vagrens don't get fleas, Mahan," replied the Headman who was back in the room. "Here you go. Try not to waste it- I only have six of them left. One each exactly."

I looked at the scroll handed to me by the Headman. Ice Prison spell, level 300. This was strong enough even for Anastaria. Smashing the trap from within requires the trapped person to be at least 40 levels higher. Of course, it is possible to smash it open even if the difference is just one level, but it would take a very long time. It would be easier to wait for the 12-hour ban on imprisoning a character to kicks in. Barliona has the following rule: you couldn't imprison a player for more than twelve hours. Once this time had elapsed, the player was forcefully teleported to the closest safe zone and was given a 12-hour buff banning any PK activity against him. Neither he nor other players were able to do anything about that. Twelve hours later the buff expired and you could continue to make the other player's life hell.

With the trap offered by the Headman the night monster was sure to be captured. It took him a few seconds to smash a 100-level trap, so it looks like he's probably around level 130. A 300-level trap is a huge overcompensation. Our Headman turned out to be quite resourceful.

"The trap lasts for a week, so we'll have time to load it on a cart and take it to Farstead. Let the High Mage figure out what kind of a creature this is," added the village leader.

Having settled our plans we took our positions. The night had fully descended.

"Mahan, do you think we'll get it this time?" Tisha'e eyes were burning with the thrill of the hunt. "I'm practically shaking with tension. When I imagine catching the beast, my paws clench as I want to strangle the vile thing. It caused us so many troubles in the past two years, I've lost count by now."

"It won't get away from us this time. Let's get going — the beast usually appears around this time."

"Let's go Tisha," Beth pulled the Vagren after her. Tisha stood there for a moment, then slid away and ran up to me, licking me on the cheek: "For luck"" Then she turned sharply and, running on all fours, disappeared into the night. She was fast, but I still managed to look into her properties: 'Attractiveness: 83 points.' I have a feeling that whatever the result of tonight's hunt, I can expect a very interesting week. Especially during night-time.

"These youngsters. A dog, but still flirting away like the best of them," sighed Beth and went to her position, leaving me alone.

Exactly ten minutes later, as we agreed, I began to move towards the square.

"YOU'RE PERSISTENT!" the voice behind me made me jump, "DO YOU REALLY LIKE MY TOUCH THAT MUCH? MASTER IS VERY PLEASED WITH YOU. YOU'VE GIVEN HIM MANY NEW FIGHTERS FOR HIS ARMY, ESPECIALLY THE YOUNG ONES — THERE IS MUCH YOU CAN TEACH THEM. I WAS ORDERED TO KILL YOU WITHOUT PAIN."

So the bastard showed up — right on time too. I quickly turned and looked into huge red eyes of the beast. What the heck are you? We had over ten meters between us, so the amulet didn't affect it.

"Ordered to kill me without pain? Great, here you go then," I grabbed the amulet and ran at the beast. Even if it destroys me, I'll see who this is. "It's here!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. "Everyone come to my voice!"

I needed a couple of seconds to get through ten meters. Next to nothing, you might think, but it was enough for the beast. Instead of jumping at me, it jumped about ten meters away, turned around and sped off towards the square. Run all you like, you're expected there too.

"It's running towards the square! Look out!" without slowing from my first dash, I ran after the beast. The distance between us steadily increased, despite the fact that I was giving it all I had. I was clearly lacking in the Agility department — something to remedy later on. Perhaps I should start jogging every day...

I turned into the neighbouring street as I followed the monster and practically ran into someone I didn't expect to see at all on a dark night. It was Slate, in the flesh. Where did he come from?

"Mahan? What's with all the screaming? You're scaring the village and not letting people sleep. Did something happen?"

"I... What are you doing here? Didn't you go fixing things around the villages?" I was really getting confused now. What was Slate doing out here? Even if he did return, he's an NPC and should be asleep during the night! 'Nighty-night, sleep tight and don't the bedbugs bite' and all that.

"I just returned. I heard your voice yelling about someone running towards the square. That's why I've ran all the way here."

"Mahan, what happened?" Tisha ran up to us. "Did you see the mist beast?"

"Who?" asked the smith, but I already realised something. I remembered the first seconds of when I crashed into Slate. The same cloud began to form around him as around Tisha when she picked up the amulet. The Rose of Eluna allowed you to see someone's true nature. Slate wasn't human.

"It doesn't matter," Tisha waved him aside and gave me her paw. And suddenly it all clicked in my head. The smith wasn't screaming his head off in terror that such a scary beast was standing right in front of him: which means it's not the first time he's seen a Vagren. But Tisha...

"Oh, Slate, you..." the girl growled, lowering her head.

"Tisha, what are you doing here?" the smith began to ask, but I chose this moment to act: I was already on the go, so with one small jump I threw the Rose of Eluna on Slate. Let's see if I was mistaken.

"Mahan, don't!" Tisha started to say, when mist started to swirl around Slate. In a couple of seconds it dissipated revealing a two-metre-high bear.

"MAHAN! NO!" this werebear managed to roar as I threw the trap under its feet. We've got you now, my pretty!

"Stop!" now it was Tisha's turn to growl in anger. Why? Didn't she see how he transformed? "Mahan, open the trap!"

"Tisha, is everything all right with you? This is the mist beast! You've seen him yourself!"

"He's no monster!"

"Yeah, right, he's a kind and gentle two-meter teddy bear with huge fangs and claws!"

"Mahan!

"Tisha, stop destroying my brain. We'd better go to the square and tell the others... Tisha, no!"

The girl took out her own trap and threw it under my feet. There was no way to dodge it, so the time for me stopped.

"Mahan — don't make any sudden moves, or you might get hurt as well," I heard Tisha's voice almost immediately. For me, a player in a prison capsule, the time in the trap flew by unnoticed. Whether just a minute went by or if it was almost morning by now remained a mystery. An enormous bear was lying next to me, with one paw twisted at an unnatural angle. It was probably broken.

"Mahan, let me introduce Slate to you, a member of the Werebeast race. And... He's my future husband, so I trust him like myself. He cannot be the mist beast. I'm sorry I threw the trap at you, but you left me no choice."

"MAHAN," the roar of the werebear would have made my blood freeze, had I had any. "BELIEVE HER."

"I...

"Help!" the Beatwick night was pierced by Beth's scream. "Mahan! It's here!"

"Stay here," I shouted to Tisha, "Look after him! We'll figure out who's who later!"

Beth's shout came from the direction of the forest, where our hunt had begun. Tomorrow morning I'll find Slate and, ignoring the fact that he's much bigger and stronger than me, punch in his face or, in his case, his insolent bear muzzle, and he can go...

Beth's lifeless body lying by the stockade stopped me in my tracks. Anything but this! I immediately selected her and sighed in relief: she had ten Hit Points remaining. Out of... She was level 250! Who would beat a High Priestess with that many levels? I entered the Spirit summoning mode and started to send Healing Spirits on Beth. Ten Hit Points, twenty, fifty... It took me sixty seven Spirits to get her Hit Points back to maximum. And that was despite me having a crazy amount of Intellect! I somehow wasn't all that keen on running across the mist beast again. As if reading my mind the source of the peculiar smell appeared next to me. The monster had come for its prey.

Great red eyes of the beast stared at me. The swirls of mist receded a little and I once again saw the cause of my recent troubles: enormous black claws. Did that mean that today I was looking at yet another respawn? I've really had it with this bastard! What the heck are you doing in a location for 20-level players? I gripped the Tambourine and the Mallet, naively thinking that even if I didn't manage to beat it, I'd at least heal myself, I backed off in small steps. The fence! Now it really was the end!

One had to give it to this piece of incomprehensible shit — in all our encounters it had shown considerable mastery in choosing the method for sending me for respawn. It was either the claws, or poison or strangling. It didn't repeat itself once, the inventive scumbag!

"Fluffy, take it down!" a melodious voice rang in the silence that surrounded us. Mist once again spread around the beast and the silhouette of a great tiger rushed past me. There was a subdued growl and the tiger crashed into the mist. Fluffy? I lifted my eyes and saw a girl right in front of me, standing on the stockade. A player! She jumped down and walked a few paces forward, leaving me behind her. An exemplary righteous defender of the presumably innocent, dammit.

"Some nooberhood you have here. What the heck is this?" she turned around to me, lifting an eyebrow in question.

"The mist obstructs the properties, so I really have no idea what sort of a mob this is," I replied, getting my breath back. She was a 93-level elf, Mirida the Farsighted. Her face looked terribly familiar, but I just couldn't remember where I've seen her before! Could our paths have crossed when I was playing my Hunter? All right, we can leave all that for later, right now we had to solve the problem at hand. "Careful! That beast can one-shot you in a jiffy!"

Mirida chuckled, but then grew serious when she saw the Life Bar of her pet. The tiger kept disappearing and reappearing in the mist, flicking its tail, but its Hit Points were falling with a frightening speed.

"Fluffy — armor, heal, dodge!" the elf quickly commanded and started sending arrow after arrow into the mist. For a moment I forgot about the fight and stared at the girl. Today seemed to be the day for revelations! I was looking at a high-level Beastmaster in person! To rear a pet like Fluffy you had to possess simply angelic patience — I managed to level up my one only to level 20 and then gave up on this tedious business. It took up just too much gametime to feed, train, walk and rear a decent pet, so many players prefer not to make an effort with a virtual friend. Only now, when I had Draco and seven and a half years of prepaid gametime I was eager to focus on levelling him up. In this case Fluffy had even more levels than his mistress — a triple command is possible only for a level 100 pet. That was some killing machine: a tank, a healer and an excellent fighter. With support from arrows he had an excellent chance to last until the morning when the beast would disappear.

I didn't believe for a minute that Mirida could win this one. I got to know our misty opponent far too well in the recent weeks.

"Mahan!" Beth's weak groan came like a breath of fresh air. She's alive! That was the main thing! "The beast is here!"

"Don't worry, I'm on it. How do you feel."

"I'll live. Help me up. Who's this?" she pointed to Mirida, who was biting her lips in the face of her own helplessness. The beast was winning the fight with Fluffy on all fronts. If she didn't let the pet go now he was guaranteed to lose ten levels. Mirida knew this full well, so when Fluffy's Hit Points approached zero she dismissed him. The mist monster swung around itself a few more seconds, not quite believing the enemy was gone, and then once again turned to the three of us.

"What in the hells is this thing?!" shouted Mirida, still sending arrow after arrow into the mist.

"I told you, I have no idea. It has 250 levels in it!"

"THREE HUNDRED!" came a mocking voice from the beast as it lunged towards us.

"In the name of Eluna! Let there be light!" as the beast rushed towards us, Beth shouted and lifted her arms. A dome of bright light formed around us into which the monster crashed, becoming stuck as a fly in a web. "Grant us light, oh Great Mother..."

Beth began to call on Eluna to give her strength, hallow the earth and banish darkness and then switched from the common tongue to some other and I decided not to lose any time. The dome didn't destroy the monster's mist, its function was strictly defensive, but while the mist beast hung there an excellent idea popped into my head. I jumped to the monster, took a swing and smacked the Rose of Eluna straight into its forehead.