The Secret of the Dark Forest ( (The Way of the Shaman: Book #3) (19 page)

Eric and Clutzer were in turn given wooden daggers and Slate a disc or a shield of some sort, which made him so happy you'd think he received an invitation to be the groom at Tisha's wedding – handed to him personally by the Emperor. We'll have to ask him what that giant coin-like thing was.

"That is not all, former Guardian of the zone," the Tree addressed me once again. "Although you have laid down your powers, I will permit you to use the reward to which you are entitled, especially because its time to come forth is near. But first I would like to ask you to perform a service. The Dark Forest must be saved. It has to be cleansed of this taint! I don't know where it came from, but it has no place here."

Quest available: Cleansing of the Dark Forest.

Description: Barliona's Dark Forest, which stretches many hundreds of kilometers on the East side of the continent, is facing a calamity. A curse has been put on it. Its Guardian was destroyed and its Sentinels defiled. After rekindling hope in the forest when you helped the Dark Forest's Guardian to be reborn from a dead, but unbroken, Sentinel, you have been given the impossible task: to destroy this taint. Where it came from and how one should fight it remains unknown.

Quest type: Unique scenario.

Limitations: only you can pass this quest to other players.

Maximum number of participants: not more than 2000.

Reward: The second part of the Dark Forest’s Guardian's gift (if the first part is already in your possession), +500 Reputation to all encountered factions, +40 to any main stat, +10 character levels.

"In its current state the Dark Forest holds many dangers, so you must bring others to aid you. But you shouldn't bring all of Barliona here, or the taint might get a fright, vanish and reappear in another forest. Find the golden mean, Shaman! The Dark Forest must be cleansed!"

After accepting the quest and sharing it with the rest of my group, I sat down right under the Tree, leaning my back against it and, not knowing where to put the new gift, stuck it into my ear. Yup, I'll be running around with just one rough wooden earring on, looking like a complete dolt. This way everyone will see the kind of presents you get from Guardians of giant forests.

"I had a bit of a think." Finally Clutzer started to make good on all the praise heaped on him by Anastaria. He was finally putting his brain to work. "And it occurred to me that this scenario and the one we're doing for Elizabeth should be completed together. If we find the Stone of Light and find out what happened to the Priests, we will find the source of the taint. I'd bet my boots that these quests are linked. I also think that the local Dark Ones will declare open season on us and our small group will get pwned by a certain fluffy polar beastie.

"You don't say ... how the heck can someone from Paris be familiar with swear words all the way from what used to be Russia before the unification?" I chuckled. "'Fluffy polar beastie' – a.k.a. 'arctic fox' – is from there; there’s no such expression in modern lingo."

"Bah! All the best swear words come from there, 'moi droog'. They're beautiful, melodious and let you use the same word to express a multitude of meanings just by varying intonation ... like a song. If you just want a sing-along, you can use any old pop tune, but if you want to become a great singer, you have to study the classics, modern innovations and all the other key genres. I'm a good singer, not a great one – German swearing is a little beyond me – but I aim to do a good job of it."

"All right, we'll hear what you've got later, when we're somewhere more suitable," grinned Eric. "So what are we going to do? Whichever way you look at it, we'll never be able to complete this quest on our own. The Guardian said right from the off that you need a group, which means gathering a large crowd and doing that quite soon. I agree with Clutzer – we're going to be hunted now. We let the Sergeant slip away and he'll be back, angry and nursing a grudge. He'll probably bring a Lieutenant along too, for backup."

"So tell us what you've come up with. I can see that you've got something." I looked at Clutzer, who appeared to be thinking something through as he rubbed his chin.

"We'll have to get mercenaries, like Barsina," put in Eric, but Clutzer immediately corrected him:

"That won't work. A mercenary’s aim is to make money, not gain reputation. They don't give a damn about the latter. This quest doesn't have a monetary reward, so mercenaries won't do. We need to invite those for whom the words 'Reputation with all factions' mean a lot and who would be prepared to hand over half the clan treasury for +10 levels and +40 to all stats. Damn, I’ve just let slip about the clan part: I would've liked for you to figure that bit out for yourselves. But you can see what I'm getting at, right? Hellfire, Anastaria and others from Phoenix. Undigit from Azure Dragons, Etamzilat from Heirs of the Titans ... players who have gained level 300 and for whom each new level is a reason to celebrate ..."

"Clutzer, you're a genius! We could earn so much cash this way that it'll last us for the rest of the Game and then some!"

"I don't know about 'genius'," smiled Clutzer, "but the idea does have merit. Now we need to draft a proper agreement, which will limit the rights of everyone except members of the Seathistles clan. I can do that and when Leite, our most bribable official – I mean that most affectionately, no need to look at me like that – gets back, he'll check it over and amend where necessary, as we did with the Clan Agreement."

"How do we connect the High Priestess scenario to it all?" I asked Clutzer. "We should try to make sure that no-one (or only a very limited number of people) knows about the existence of the second quest. At the same time, the sharing of that quest should happen only via myself or it will spread like a virus through all the clans. It could easily end up being completed in the blink of an eye, altogether without us."

"But how do we even tell the high-level players about the Guardian's quest?" put in Eric. "We're here and they're all the way in Anhurs. Do we send them letters? They'll never believe us."

"I'll handle that part. I have a communication amulet for contacting Anastaria. I'll start with her and then we'll see. I'll invite Plinto as well – his behavior was just a little too strange when I was attacked. I have a communication amulet for contacting him too, so we'll have a chat. I have nothing to lose and something tells me that debts like that have to be repaid. Although, stop! Guys, we're getting a bit ahead of ourselves! We've decided everything between the three of us, but what about Leite, Dukki, Sushiho and Elenium. Even Barsina, if you think about it! I think it would be wrong to take any steps before discussing things with them! We should wait until the evening and only then start offering the quest to everyone. Is that all right with you?"

There were no objections, so I closed my eyes for a nap. It felt like only few moments later when I opened them as Clutzer was shaking me like a doll.

"Mahan, wake up! You have to see this!"

I quickly checked the clock and was surprised to see that almost six hours had gone by and then looked to where Clutzer was pointing. A Copper Vein. A Large Copper Vein. A Tin Vein. A Large Tin Vein. A Marble Vein. A Silver Vein. A Large Silver Vein, Iron ... all the veins were standing next to each other, taking up about a third of the glade. The other two thirds weren't exactly empty either: one was full of herbs, where Eric was already vigorously grazing, and the other was full of small trees, probably intended for Lumberjacks.

"And how are we in the middle of a resource El Dorado all of a sudden?" I couldn't help saying. I noticed that as soon as Eric picked a flower another identical one sprung up in its place a moment later.

"I have no idea what's going on here, but our professions are being leveled up, which is the main thing," said Clutzer, sharing the happy news. "I've got my Herbalism up to the maximum, so I'll start on the Lumberjacking now. Eric will be finishing with the herbs soon as well. His main profession, Smithing, has been leveled up pretty well, so he'll get further than me with Herbalism. No matter, I'm a Wood Carver, so I'll be getting some materials for leveling up in that. Look how much wood is growing around here. Right, I've got you up, now it's up to you what you want to do next – I'm quite busy at the moment. I wanted to wake you straight away when it started, but the Guardian wouldn't let me. He put up a dome of twigs around you, but as soon as that was gone, I shook you awake to fill you in. But now, I'm off." Clutzer ran off towards the trees and soon the surrounding area was filled with the sound of the axe and Anastaria's amulet exploding in a torrent of swearing.

"And good day to you too, beautiful!" I greeted the girl, activating the amulet. At least I hope it's her and not Ehkiller or Hellfire. That would be a bit awkward!

"Where the heck are you?" Instead of a normal 'Hello', something between an agitated and a shouting voice hit me from the amulet. You never know in Stacey's case. "I couldn't connect to you for five hours! The amulet went mad and kept telling me that you were outside the reachable zone! That can't happen in Barliona! Amulets can be accessed at any point in the Game, even in other worlds that unlock for special quests! But you were completely out of reach! I even contacted the developers, asking why the amulet was behaving so strangely, but their reply was that everything occurring was in accordance with game logic. How did you manage to hide?"

"I was asleep," I had no idea how to respond to this barrage.

"Asleep? The amulet should have been screaming like mad until you woke up."

"Stacey, why were you calling in the first place?" I decided to quickly change the subject to dampen Anastaria's onslaught. If I started responding in the same tone, I could easily blurt out where I was, what I was doing and how to get the quest. I think not. I needed a 'time out' to gather my thoughts and set out my conditions.

"What's that? Someone's chopping wood in the background? Are you in the middle of a logging camp? How did you manage to hide from the communication amulet?" The girl continued to dig for information, so I went on the offensive:

"Stacey, give me the password for full access to the Phoenix clan treasury."

There was a sudden silence on the other end of the amulet and then Anastaria said in a happy voice:

"Great! I was beginning to fear that you'd spill all the beans to me now. Still, I had to give it a try, no?" This was followed by a little laugh on the other end of the line, as if she was savoring every moment of this conversation. "I wanted to congratulate you. Looks like you've somehow managed to get hold of some Lapis Lazuli on your own, right?"

"Look, here's my standard answer: what makes you think that I was the one that created the Dwarves? It's not like I even need them."

"I didn't say a word about the Dwarves. I congratulated you on getting hold of the Lapis, that's all."

"Damn! Stop trying to confuse me already! Instead tell me what's a 'zone Guardian' and what one does with it?"

"A zone Guardian?" her voice sounded surprised, as if she’d never heard of such a thing, but I felt with every fiber of my being that Stacey knew full well what it was. "It sounds familiar, but I just can't remember. Where did you hear this expression?"

"Well, you see, I have no idea how, but I managed to remove the taint from a small plot of a cursed forest, after which a half-dead local Woodwothe crawled over to me and named me a Guardian. But I haven't received any announcements about it. So now I'm sitting here and working out what’s to be done next. Because something tells me that I shouldn't leave this place."

"Which forest are you in right now?"

"Stacey ..."

"Mahan, do you want the information? If you do, let's both share."

"Yeah, right. So this is the bit where I tell you where I am and instantly get landed with a hundred-strong Phoenix strike-force flying around the area and getting in the way of me completing the quest. I've been there in Beatwick, when Hellfire destroyed my wolves because he happened to be passing through and was bored. I can't tell you my location."

"All right, I'll look up what a Guardian is and how a player can end up being one and get back to you. But remember, you'll owe me."

Just a few minutes later Anastaria called back.

"Looks like you’ve gotten caught up in something big over there!" came the girl's cheerful voice. "When I get kicked out of Phoenix, I'll be sure to join you. Interesting things keep happening to you and I want in. Would you accept this newbie girl into your clan again?"

"Only if you make it through the selection process," I replied, mirroring Anastaria's tone. " The cookies were a one-time-only offer. To enter the clan a second time you'll have to try very hard."

"Oh, I will, to be sure. So, what are zone Guardians and what do you do with them? There isn't all that much information out there, because even though Guardians periodically appear in Barliona, the logic behind their appearance hasn't been completely understood yet. You weren't given an announcement for the simple reason that you would only have been a Guardian until you get sent for respawn. After this your zone would disappear and be absorbed back into the surrounding world, in your case, a forest. No-one can cause you any harm in the zone of which you are a Guardian and, essentially, this is it. We can only guess what the developers meant by this title, but, personally, I think that this could be connected to some hidden quest chain. You'll have to dig a bit deeper. I don't suppose you need the aid of a mercenary? We could sign an Agreement stating that I would be acting purely as a hired hand for the duration of your quest and ensuring there wouldn't be hordes of Phoenix players running around. It would be quite interesting to finally get to the bottom of this Guardian business. Often players themselves don't realize that they've been made a Guardian and only find this out once they've been sent for respawn and the relevant message pops up. But here we have a unique case of you being told who you are. You haven't died yet, I hope?"