The Secret of the Dark Forest ( (The Way of the Shaman: Book #3) (41 page)

"Eran and Yiran are the ancient names for the moon and the sun in Barliona. The only place where they meet, creating an incredibly beautiful spectacle, is in the lower reaches of the Altair river. Believe me, this is truly a sight worth seeing. Although, what am I saying? I bet you've been there more than once yourself. The man of whom they speak is Karmadont. The first Emperor of Malabar. Mahan! What did the orcs say?!"

"Stacey, you are my Deputy right now, of course, but ..."

"Hey guys!" I was interrupted by Clutzer's cheerful voice and the noisy approach of the other members of my clan. "We’ve had a bit of a think and decided that hanging around Phoenix isn't for us. Why spend a month on training when we already have a trainer,," Clutzer glanced at Plinto, "who can give anyone in Phoenix a run for their money. And there's nothing to do there for Barsa except possibly lose levels. No, we'll stick with you. It's no good leaving clan leaders all by themselves."

"So what happened to wanting to prove that you're the best?" I asked in surprise, looking at Plinto.

"What's the point? Everyone already knows I'm the best. Myself included. I see no point in trying to prove that to some flaming chickens." The Rogue shot Anastaria a sly glance: "They'll be fine as they are."

"Whose idea was it to come back?" asked Anastaria, ignoring Plinto's look.

"His," volunteered Eric, "We'd made it almost half way there when Clutzer convinced us to return."

"I just thought," my Officer parried, smiling, "that it's unprofitable to hand in the quest for a level bump right now. There's no deadline for handing it in, so we could easily gain a hundred levels first, then drop by the Guardian and the High Priestess. Plinto gave the Stone of Light to Elenium to hand over to Elizabeth. There's no need to return the Tear of Eluna and it's not clear what should be done with it. Here." Clutzer got off his horse, turning it back into a bridle, and gave me a small, silvery glinting stone. "I'm sure you'll think of some proper use for it."

Item acquired: Tear of Eluna.

Description: hidden; approach the goddess.

"How do you like the description, eh?" asked Clutzer when he saw my baffled expression. "It only appeared yesterday. Plinto said it wasn't there to begin with."

"So, a quest has subsequently been attached to the Tear," Anastaria said straight away. "Will you open its properties?"

It took me a few seconds to make the decision before I opened access to the description.

"The goddess. ... Among the players only a Priest could appeal to her. Or the High Priestess, among the NPCs," explained Anastaria. "We have no Priests and the High Priestess is miles away. So for the moment the Tear is useless to the clan."

"Never mind," I said as I hid the properties and put the Tear into my bag. "We'll get a Priest of our own or pay Elizabeth a visit and find out what Eluna wants with all of us. Right! Since everyone's back, let's hold our first clan meeting. We have to figure out once and for all what we plan to do in this Game. ...

Aim of the Seathistles Clan: to ensure a cash turnover of at least 10 million gold a month.

Means for achieving this aim:

Production of Jewelry items for 100–200-level players. Target cost of 1 ring: 30000 gold. The minimum number of rings to be made a month: 400. The minimum number of rings to be sold a month: 400. Item quality of the crafted rings: Rare and above. Anastaria, aided by Leite, will handle how and where the clan's goods will be sold.

Gathering of rare resources. In order to achieve this we will have to invite 30 to 100 players into the clan who are proficient in gathering various resources. Clutzer will be in charge of recruiting the gatherer players.

Completing Dungeons and selling off the loot that drops there. To get this part right we have to invite 30 to 50 level-200 players into the clan. Barsina will oversee the healers; Eric will supervise the tanks; and Plinto the melee and ranged fighters. Anastaria and Plinto will handle general raid preparation.

Building our own castle and making its facilities available to external players for item storage. In order to commence this part, we have to build a castle and establish decent security there. This task is a secondary priority, after the primary aim of securing the clan's position has been reached.

The redesign of clan symbols will fall to Anastaria and Barsina."

Three hours' worth of discussion essentially boiled down to five simple points that could be further summed up as: 'we need money and must use every means we can to generate it'. As soon as we confirmed the plan of action, work commenced: the free players began to constantly hop in and out of the Game as they carried out various tasks and I, as the head honcho, watched all the commotion without lifting a finger. I had people for doing stuff now. I'll pitch in when it's time to review candidates for clan membership. But now ...

Ding! You have received a letter. Do you wish to view it?

Can it be yet another Anastaria enthusiast? My hand sorting of all letters had resulted in ten thousand blocked players, so I hadn't received any letters today. That didn't last long though. After I opened my mailbox, fully expecting to have to add another name to my blocked senders list, I saw who the message was from: Evolett.

"Hello Mahan. I'm sorry it took so long for me to write to you. I must admit that for a long time I was unable to choose the right gift for you – one that would sufficiently reflect your ability to surprise. But today I watched a video report by Phoenix and the Azure Dragons on a certain joint quest, which, among other things, featured you and your Dragon. After the Eye I was sure that nothing else would be able to surprise me, but your Totem ... .

When I saw him I immediately realized, WHAT, (yes, just like that, in capitals) I should give you as a gift. We looted this item a long time ago in one of the Dungeons, but had no idea how to use it, because there are no Dragons left in our world. Please accept it and may it bring you and your Totem luck.

Yours sincerely, the Head of the Dark Legion Clan, Evolett."

Item acquired: Diadem of Atranikalonius.

Description: +1 to the number of rider players.

Limitations: only for Dragons.

"Y
eah," said Eric slowly, "it really is ginormous."

The next morning, when the free players returned to the Game, I persuaded Anastaria and Plinto to take everyone to the castle of the Fallen. The archers from the farthest watchtowers were too far away to shoot us, my holy items blocked access to the nearest two and we had no intention of coming close to the gates. ... All in all it was a normal sightseeing trip to the castle of the main enemy.

Regular banging could be heard from inside the castle and was shaking the wall very slightly.

"They're still at it," said Plinto, pointing out the wall's Durability status bar to us. In several places it was at 85% and each subsequent hit reduced it by a few more thousandths of a percent. The Fallen were knocking through a path to freedom.

"Had a good look now?" asked Anastaria, her voice tense. "Let's get back, it isn't safe here."

"Bah! Stacey, what could happen to them?" Plinto spoke up for us. "I was so efficient in deploying your blades and cones that not a single rat would ... Mahan! Stop!"

"Plinto, stop him!" Anastaria shouted. "Someone could've gained control over him! Mahan! Snap out of it!"

Ignoring the shouts from my guys, I continued to walk to the open gates of the castle. As soon as we’d come to the clearing it was as if something had taken me over! It seemed that the most correct course of action would be to walk up to the gates and ... I couldn't say what that 'and' was, but felt that I'd work it out as I went along. Something wasn't right with this castle. I had to walk up to it and figure it out. I really hoped that my fighters wouldn't get in the way. ...

"I can't get close!" there was surprise in Plinto's voice, but I didn't bother looking back. There were about ten meters left to the gate and I absolutely had to cover them. "There's a sphere here, I won't be able to stun him. I'll try a different way!"

Something flashed past and Plinto appeared right in front of me.

"Where are you off to, boss? It's no good leaving your clan behind ... why don't we head back?" With these words the Rogue attempted a football tackle, throwing himself on top of me with his entire mass, trying to push me back. Damn! Plinto is about to spoil everything! How can I explain to the clan that they mustn't touch me now? The Rogue proceeded to attack the sphere that had appeared around me out of nowhere, so I simply waved him out of the way. Behind me the sound of the breath being knocked out of someone, a dull thump against a tree and Plinto's frame, now sporting half as many Hit Points, indicated that was one heck of a wave.

"Mahan!" came another shout from Eric. "Stop!"

"I don't know what mess you've got yourself into now, but I've just been offered a class-based continent-wide quest to stop you at any cost. Can you hear me? Mahan, I need an answer, otherwise I'm attacking. Don't take it personally, but ..."

"Stacey, everything's fine. I need to get to the gates. We can have a chat once I'm ther
e," I replied to the girl, after realizing I could use the clan chat.
"Stacey, trust me ..."

"Plinto, stand down!" came the immediate command from the lady Paladin.

"I'm also being offered a class-based continental quest," the Rogue growled somewhere to the side of me, "Mahan has to be stopped at any cost!"

"Plinto!"
it was awkward to type, but I was reluctant to talk for some reason.
"Back off! That's an order!"

"FYI, if anyone's interested,"
typed in Eric,
"both Leite and myself have had a Warrior class-based quest unlocked too. You have to be stopped, Mahan! Prevented from entering the castle ...."

"The Great Druids of the earth are also asking me to do that,"
Barsina's report wasn't far behind,
"Is it even normal for several classes to be given a continental quest at the same time? And within such close proximity as well."

"That's our clan leader for you,"
quipped Anastaria,
"I think he's doesn't give a damn about logic and the Game can sense that ... Mahan, if you fail the quest, I'll eat you alive. Every last bit of you ...."

"All right, I'm off. Don't get in my way!"
I sighed in relief as I finished typing and almost flew the last few meters to the gates. That's it. The Shaman has reached his destination; now what?

"Mahan,"
another message from Anastaria popped up in the chat,
"why don't you turn on the camera: you can share the video with me later. I sense that something interesting is about to go down. Everyone else too – turn on your cameras; afterwards we'll edit it all into a film about our adventures."

My entire clan immediately sported video camera pictograms above their heads, so, not to be the odd one out, I went into my settings and turned on the recording. Stacey was right; it would be interesting to watch through our adventures later on.

Strange though it was, the crowd of 350+ level Fallen Mages, who stood about ten meters away, was in no hurry to send me for respawn. Instead they looked in my direction as if waiting for something. As soon as I took a tiny step inside the fortress, a message appeared before my eyes:

Quest available: The making of a Dark Shaman.

Description: Geranika spent many years looking for a way to free himself from having to depend on the Supreme Spirits of the Higher and Lower Worlds. Fifteen years ago he found it. ... You may join him and free yourself from the power of the Spirits, forever binding yourself to a different power.

Quest type: class-based continental.

Reward for accepting: You will begin the initiation process into becoming one of Geranika's Dark Shamans.

Penalty for refusal: you will be sent for respawn. Do you wish to accept the quest?

Two buttons appeared before my eyes: 'Accept' and 'Decline'. Right. ... First of all I have to figure out which continent-wide quests were given to the others.

You cannot use the internal clan chat while choosing a side. Please make this choice on your own.

What the ...?! Judging by the total lack of reaction to my shouting, the clan wasn't hearing me either. ... Right, then I'll try to use the method that did the job in Beatwick. ...

You cannot use the communication amulet while choosing a side. Please make this choice on your own.

So they blocked this too. ... Fine, if it's a choice they want, a choice they will get ... right now any Shaman’s aim is to discover the nature of Geranika's power, therefore ...

'The Making of a Dark Shaman' quest has been accepted. Seek out Geranika.

"I knew that you would make the right choice, my future apprentice." An elegantly dressed man appeared next to m – his short hair barely moving, despite his instant relocation. "This is why I restrained my minions and helped you overcome your clan by surrounding you with a sphere and adding strength to your throw. Come, we need to commence your initiation so you can rid yourself of the yoke of the Spirits forever. These," Geranika turned towards my clan, "are to be destroyed."

A two-meter-high Human materialized next to us, his black eyes emitting a mist that fluctuated through the entire gray spectrum. The General! And he seemed oblivious to the fact that he was standing on a blessed pinecone with one foot and was pushing one of the dagger blades into the ground with the other.

"No!" I barely had the time to shout, before the slaughter of my clan commenced. "I might still find a use for them! Keep them alive for now”, I paused, but eventually found the strength to utter, "teacher!"

"Future teacher, Mahan!" Geranika corrected me. "Future teacher. You are yet to prove yourself capable of becoming my apprentice. Agreed, these Free Citizens could come in useful." Geranika turned to the General and issued a command: "Invite them to the castle, after making sure they have no means of harming my potential apprentice. Let them be our guests but with limited terms." He then turned back to me and said: "This place needs to be cleaned up – look at all the trash that's been strewn around. As soon as you complete this task, I'll await you at the center of the castle. You shall then be put through your first test."

After receiving the instructions to clear the castle of the Blessed items, I began to gather up everything that had been thrown around by Plinto. I couldn't help wondering if quests were being generated automatically right now. I was pretty sure that this one hadn’t existed until recently. ... And there was the update in the Tear of Eluna description as well. ...

"Mahan?" the lady Paladin's raised eyebrow spoke louder than any words. Does this mean that they’d all failed those continent-wide quests? "I won't even ask what's going on here – you probably don't have a clue yourself –, but bear in mind that everyone's quests have been changed. Now, instead of preventing you entering the castle, the task is to do everything in our power to ensure you fail the tests. Please, give some thought to the rest of us before you do anything."

"Don't listen to her, boss," intervened Plinto. "It's been a while since we've had anything this big go down – even the Lieutenant seems a pushover in comparison. Do what you have to do: we'll support you. Why can't there be a Shadow Empire? We can be the first clan for the third side."

"Except, all our money-making plans would be totally and irreversibly screwed," sighed Leite bitterly. Who are we going to sell all that Jewelry to exactly, if the other two Empires are hostile to us?"

"ENOUGH TALKING!" The General's voice was so heavy that the subsequent debuffs didn't only bring down the players, but the majority of the Mages and Vampires too. Only the Elementals remained unshaken, but they too were probably wincing in the Astral Plane.

"The first test is easy," Geranika said the moment I found him. I had completed the gathering of the Blessed items successfully, but I didn't get a single Experience point for it. My only consolation was that now I could defend myself by throwing the cones, if it came to that. "You have to break with your Race. I will return you to the past, where your task is to destroy the symbol of all Humans: Yalininka. Go now!" The whirlwind of the portal appeared next to Geranika, but instead of the usual blue glow if was red in hue.

"Mahan, don't you dare!"
immediately came a message from Anastaria.
"Yalininka is an untouchable symbol of all races! Not just the Humans, but all of them! She must not be destroyed, even to complete a scenario!"

"To make sure that you really carry out my instructions, I will be watching you! Go now!" The Lord of Shadow hurried me, so there was little I could do other than take one small step – a step towards a Legend of Barliona.

A flash of light!

"Traveler! Help me, I beg you!" a woman's piercing cry cut through the surrounding world. This cry combined pain, despair and, at the same time, hope of deliverance. It took me a few moments to evaluate the situation: I’d found myself high in the mountains, on a small plateau – a few meters away from me, over the edge of a precipice, a woman's hand was gripping the stone edge. Why am I so flippin' slow? She'll fall any moment!

Without giving a thought to the fact that if I simply left things as they were Geranika's quest would be completed automatically (I had no doubt that the woman gripping the stone with her last bit of strength was Yalininka), I dashed to the edge of the precipice. Calmly standing and watching someone, even just an NPC, falling into a chasm was more than I could bear.

"Noooo!" The woman's hand finally slipped from the stone and disappeared beyond the edge. Realizing that I was horrendously late, I bit my lip and jumped forward, in the unrealistic hope of catching her as she fell. Sharp cold stones ripped across my chest, taking off around 10% of my Hit Points, but that was irrelevant: as I threw my hand through the air, I managed to grab the woman’s right hand at the last second. Yalininka grabbed at my hand like a drowning man at a straw, her sharp nails sinking into my skin and repeating the effect of the stone in the damage I sustained. Whatever; I'll deal with that later. The pressing thing now was that, although the woman weighed hardly anything at all, I had nothing to hold on to at the edge and slowly but surely was beginning to slip too. That's the last thing I need!

"Hold still!" I shouted to the wriggling woman. "We will both fall if you don't!"

I began to beat the stones with my feet in the hopes of either catching my foot in or making a small hole in the rock, but still continued to slide after Yalininka.

"Let me go, traveler!" the woman said after a few moments, letting go of my hand. "We might both die now. Save yourself!"

"Yeah! Sure thing. I'll just throw in the towel and let you go now," I growled, teeth clenched, and gripped a small rock with my free hand. The stone was slippery and wobbled, but managed to do its job – our journey over the edge had ground to a halt. Now we just had to carefully climb out of this. ...

"Got a grip now. Stop trying to wriggle out already!" I shouted when the woman began to twist her hand. Damn, this was hard! "Use your other hand and try to climb up to me!"