What followed was a full-fledged plunder of the Narlak City treasure vault. We didn’t manage to clean out the entire cave—even the three extra bags didn’t suffice for this, but we did teleport to Altameda over-encumbered with loot. Stacey and Reptilis preferred items—Reptilis even found some new gear to equip there and then. I, on the other hand, focused on resources. Imperial Steel, Oak, Flowers—anything that would bring in money at auction, found its place in my bags. Items come and go, but resources and profession levels—which they help develop—remain.
“And so, according to your contract,” said Stacey when we had filled the last bag to its rim, “Reptilis, you owe three million, three hundred and twenty thousand gold—for this list of items. I assume that you have your own distributor equipped, so you can double-check on your own.”
“Yeaaah,” droned the kobold thoughtfully. “I kind of overdid it with my plunder…But all right. I need everything I picked up, so charge that amount to my account. You lot can figure the rest out among yourselves, so please excuse me—I’m out. By the way, Mahan—do you want me to send the funds to the clan account or your personal one?”
“Send them to the clan,” I said, deciding to make Leite a present. I need to pull my weight on the monetary side of things when I can too.
I received a message that a payment had been made to the clan account, after which Reptilis cast a portal and vanished to an unknown destination.
“Well, I guess the time has come for us to go too,” I said. “Calran, I invite you to check out my castle. We can take a portal to your people from there. By the way, Stacey, where did Reptilis take the pirates?”
“If they’re not in jail, we can summon them,” said Calran, his eyes still glued to Anastaria. “Will your castle allow us to do that?” He made a great effort and turned to look at me. Only here did I notice that my Attractiveness with him, which had earlier been at 45, had fallen to 35. Why, this NPC has decided I’m his rival in love! What is the world coming to?!
“Yeah, it will,” I assured him and called Viltrius to ask him to cast us a portal to the castle.
“Hello, Mahan!” As soon as I set foot in Altameda, a Herald appeared beside me. “Please follow me—the Emperor wishes to see you.”
I transferred the loot from the Narlak treasure vault to Viltrius—just in case—and asked Anastaria to entertain our guest. Then I hopped into the Herald’s portal. Who knows what the Emperor wants with me…
“Mahan, please follow me,” said the palace steward whom the Herald delivered me to. Good news already—since they didn’t send me directly to the Emperor, then nothing too bad has happened.
Naahti received me in his office, most of which was taken up by a massive round table. Unlike my previous audiences with the Emperor, Tisha was not with her father. It was as if our conversation was to be man to man.
“Have a seat,” the Emperor said, looking up for a moment from the documents before him. Finishing up with some paper, he offered it to me from across the table, and the sheet floated across and over the air to my hand as if carried by some invisible assistant. “Read it. I’d like to hear your thoughts…”
To the Emperor of Malabar from the acting Guardian of Narlak, Geranika, the Lord of Shadow.
RE: Complaint.
Honored colleague! I hereby bring to your attention that one, Shaman Mahan, a Dragon and Earl of your realm and holder of Altameda Castle, and, further, a player of your acquaintance, is doing his utmost to violate our agreement regarding Narlak’s autonomy. I request that your Highness impress upon this subject the main points of our agreement. Otherwise, I will be forced to complete the metamorphosis of a certain lady near and dear to you—to one of my subjects forever. All the best…
Geranika has Tisha?
“No, Tisha is safe,” the Emperor replied, as though I had asked the question aloud. “He’s referring to a different lady…Tisha’s mother.”
An oppressive silence descended on the office. I was feverishly trying to remember what I knew about Tisha’s mother, but all I could come up with was that she was dead.
“Many years ago,” Naahti began, reclining in his chair and slouching his shoulders as if from an unbearable weight, “back even before I went to Beatwick, my wife left this world. As a Priestess of Tartarus, it was her duty to perform certain rituals beyond the Nameless City. One time her group did not return. Search parties were sent out, but it was no good. Half a year later, the High Priestess, whom the Dark Lord had put the Death Seal on, returned and announced that mysterious creatures had attacked and killed all of them. My wife did not bear the seal, so she was reckoned as dead…Right until that moment when you took over Altameda and removed her from Glarnis. Geranika understood that neither I nor Regul would allow him to remain the temporary Guardian of Narlak, so he gave us ironclad proof that my wife was in his hands. And fighting against one’s wife, even if she’s been turned to a subject of Shadow…Geranika promised to return her if we left him alone in Narlak for another two months—until his post as temporary Guardian expired, so we acquiesced…My Heralds kept a close eye on the movements of my subjects near Narlak, strongly warning Free Citizens to stay away from its environs, and yet you teleported there directly, bypassing their jurisdiction.”
“Evolett, the head of the Dark Legion has decided to attack Narlak,” I said immediately. “At my prompting, to be honest, but he is already gathering people for the attack.”
“A couple hours ago, the Dark Lord met with him and told him what I’m telling you now. There will be no attack on Narlak…”
“Why isn’t Geranika reacting to our attempts to capture the Heart of Chaos? He could blackmail you there too.”
“Because he’s bound by his oath of Emperor. When he proclaimed himself the Lord of Shadow, Geranika swore an oath to Barliona and now he must perform it.”
“An oath?”
“To be an Emperor is not merely to exercise enormous might and power—there are also responsibilities and duties you cannot violate. The Creator keeps a very close watch over these matters…As soon as Geranika tries to use Alviona to protect himself, he’ll cease to be the Lord of Shadow. He knows this and does so only in his capacity as Guardian. When it comes to our host, he will have to do battle with it on his own.”
“Does that mean that the Creator hasn’t left Barliona?”
“He never left it. He ceased to rule it, leaving our world to his sons—and when they left, to the gods they had created. But he has always watched over this world. It is his child, after all…”
“As I understand it, I’m not allowed to show up in Narlak for the next two months, correct?”
“Yes. You may keep the loot you obtained in the treasure vault, but I request that you stay away from that city. This is a request, not an order. At least for two months. The Dark Lord and I already made a decision that as soon as a permanent Guardian appears in Narlak, the city will return to my jurisdiction. I’ve had enough of indulging the local authorities with extra freedom—but that will take place only in two months…”
“I understand and I promise you that I won’t set foot in Narlak for the next two months. If I may, I have one question—how is it going with the Heart of Chaos? How is the war coming along?”
“There is progress. It is incredibly slow, but it is there. The allied forces of Malabar and Kartoss are sorely lacking the assistance of Hellfire, Anastaria, Plinto and other high-level Free Citizens. As a result, the advance on Armard is going very slowly. We have lost nine out of the eleven battles we fought. In most cases, our forces are simply too outnumbered. Geranika doesn’t seem to have a single warrior weaker than Level 250. Most of his forces seem to be at Level 330, so we are having a very hard time of it.”
“I must ask: Why make a head-on assault if we could just fly there on griffins?”
“There is much you don’t know about the Empire of Shadow,” smiled Naahti. “Flying over this Empire is prohibited.”
“What about using Assassins
or Rogues?” I recalled Reptilis, who had snuck into the Narlak palace.
“The only sentient I am aware of who could sneak past Level 330 guards is Plinto the Bloodied. But he has another month before he regains his powers. There aren’t any others capable of this in Malabar. Even the kobold that helped you plunder Narlak failed all six of his attempts. He was captured and sent to respawn. Therefore, all that remains us is to rely on brute force and there we are desperately missing the players I just named…”
“So the Empire of Shadow has the same flight restrictions as the cities?” I clarified.
“I understand your desire to save Renox’s life. Don’t be surprised. I am aware that you have this information. However, I must disappoint you—even if you force your way into Armard, there is nothing there for you except for another respawn. On your own, without your Spirits…Even if you take a companion with you, the idea is pointless. Don’t think that I’m trying to dissuade you—I merely wish to give you some perspective if you decide to try to get to Armard in your Dragon Form. You have my condolences, but Renox will depart this world…”
“He already has…”
“I have told you everything I wanted to,” the Emperor concluded, standing up. “It’s up to you to decide how you will act now. The Herald will take you back…”
“So then the wife of the Emperor is also the mother of the Dark Lord and she’s alive and in Geranika’s hands,” Anastaria said more to herself than anyone else when I related the gist of my conversation with Naahti. “And Geranika is blackmailing both Emperors with this fact, keeping them from approaching Narlak. Why?”
“‘Why’ what?”
“Why does Geranika want to be a Guardian? That’s a very large responsibility that surely distracts him from the war being waged in his lands. Why does Geranika need this city?”
“It’s a port,” said Calran, who had begun following Anastaria around like a dog. A real mighty pirate this one…
“A port?” Even Stacey looked at the pirate with puzzlement, unable to understand why Geranika would need a port.
“If I understood you correctly, the main thrust of the allied armies—you could say, the only thrust—is taking place overland. Meanwhile, no one is even trying to reach Armard by water. Considering that there is a major river running within a hundred kilometers of this city, it’s mystifying that no one has thought of using this fact.”
“You have a map of the Shadow Empire?” Anastaria perked up.
“Only of its waterways. We never passed very deeply into the Shadow Realm. There’s nothing for us to do there. But we did chart the major rivers. Plus, we have an active trade with the people of Armard. We supply them with slaves. Malabar and Kartoss have a single access point to the sea—Narlak, which is currently controlled by Geranika. Naturally he isn’t interested in handing over power to someone else, since this is almost a direct path to his capital.”
“Dan, are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“Most likely. I think it might be a good idea for our raiders to make an outing on a ship. We’ll bring Plinto along too—he needs to take a break from all the bloodsucking he’s been doing.”
“Tell me, Calran, what are relations like between the pirates and Shadow?” Stacey asked the pirate. “Are you its subjects, allies, partners, or were you merely passing by and decided to stop in?”
“I’d say the last. Our main base is in Cadis. That’s where Grygz summons us to, but Shadow allows us to use Verdax as a base too—an enormous city on the coast.”
“In other words, if we approach Grygz with an offer to wage a little war with Shadow, he might agree?” Stacey went on interrogating the pirate in a musical voice that carried notes of the Siren song.
“Everything depends on the price you name,” Calran replied truthfully. “If it suits Grygz and his officers, myself included, then yes we will be ready to wage a little war against Shadow, as you put it. We will be acting as ordinary mercenaries, so it won’t be a complicated issue.”
“You said ‘officers.’ How many of them are there altogether?”
“Five, if you count myself. Normally, we get together once a month and boast of the loot we’ve plundered, but this time I was unlucky—the storm cast us against the defensive dome and the Narlak Mages bound the ship…”
“When is the next officers’ meeting?”
“Tomorrow.” It looked like Anastaria had turned her Charm up to 11 because Calran had begun to tell us things that players weren’t supposed to know. “The next meeting will take place at the Three Squids tavern in Cadis, at two o’clock. All the approaches to the tavern have already been closed off, so the meeting should take place as per usual—without any incidents.”
“Can you get us into the meeting?”
“Yes, I am allowed to bring three companions. But normally, that’s Darius—my first mate—and two captains from my ships whom I select based on their performance in the past month. It would be very difficult for me to explain why I brought three Freemies instead of the pirates everyone’s used to.
“Ahem.” A Herald’s polite cough sounded beside us. “Anastaria, please forgive me, but I am forced to issue you another warning for your abuse of the Siren’s power. You have only three warnings remaining—please be careful. With great power comes great responsibility, please remember this.”
“Three?” I asked surprised once the Herald had dived back into his portal and Calran froze with the ‘Petrified’ status effect for 20 minutes. “I thought you had three before…?”
“So you were listening! I knew it!” the girl exclaimed in a satisfied voice. “Father told me that the creator of a cursed item may be present at its first use, but I didn’t believe him—there was no precedent of it. And you kept mum about it all this time? And you call yourself a husband! It’s rude to spy on your wife, by the way!”
“At the time, you weren’t my wife. And in general, I considered you an enemy of the people who wanted to seize the Chess Set from me,” I parried. “But you still haven’t answered my question.”
“So I take it, I’m no longer an enemy of the people?” the girl smiled. “You’re a mischievous one. As for the warnings—every six months, one of them is struck off, allowing me to charm someone else. Obviously you didn’t know this, since Hellfire never told you, right? What a sleuth you are, darling…”
“We’ll still see about which one of us is mischievous,” I muttered. “What are we going to do then?”
“First of all we need to meet Grygz and figure out why we were allowed to encounter the pirates to begin with. Note that in the fifteen-and-a-half years of Barliona’s existence, no one has managed to make contact with them. At any rate, I’ve never heard of it. And after all, this is almost like an in-game El Dorado—everything from the First Kills of various monsters of the deep to trade and safe passage to other continents. The important thing is to use this opportunity properly, so make sure to bring me with you to the meeting. I am confident that Evolett will take Zlatan with him.”
“Who?”
“He’s got this brainy guy. Hang on, I’ll call my uncle real fast…”
During the twenty minutes that Calran was in a frozen state, the population of Altameda increased by two. As Anastaria guessed, Evolett arrived with Zlatan—a hulking Level 288 orc Mage. The ‘brains’ of the Dark Legion had chosen such a plain face for his avatar that one look at this creature was all it took to make one’s conclusions about his intellectual prowess. Or, rather, its utter absence.
“M’lady, forgive me. I somehow fell asleep,” Calran boomed when he came to. “It seems that my incarceration took its toll on me…Who are these two Kartossians? I don’t remember being introduced to them…”
As we had agreed, Evolett showed his quest to meet with Grygz to the pirate and in so doing aroused a certain curiosity—it turns out that Calran had never seen a living orc before. Or rather, he had, but only as a slave or an enemy with whom he couldn’t talk. So he attached himself to Zlatan,
asking him about all kinds of trivialities—where and what and where and why. The pirate was interested in all things orcish, but after ten minutes I noticed that Zlatan and Anastaria had somehow turned the conversation upside down and began to ask Calran the questions—which he was happy to answer. It was true that the questions didn’t directly concern the number of officers or sailors under Calran’s command or in the fraternity as a whole, yet his answers to questions like ‘how many bags of food do you have to take with you on a voyage?’ or ‘and is it difficult to find a place to stay after a voyage?’ revealed a lot more than the pirate suspected. I watched the players’ cross-examination of the pirate with immense astonishment, understanding that I really was out of my depth around those two…They were out of this world…
As soon as Anastaria and Zlatan had pried everything they could from Calran, we made the decision to travel to Cadis and begin our pirate quest. Neither Evolett nor Anastaria saw any more reasons to put off the quest, so I had nothing to do but agree with them. Having brought the pirates that Reptilis broke out of prison to Altameda, we opened a portal right to the center of Cadis. Thankfully none of us had negative reputation with this Free City. We still had almost a week left until our next meeting with Kreel, so we had the time to deal with the pirates and with Renox…
Outwardly, Cadis was no different than the other cities in Malabar I’d seen along my journey—ordinary architecture, vendors, guard patrols and, what was most surprising, crowds of players. Starting from Kartossians of Level 250 and ending with minnows from Malabar of Level 38. Cadis united the players of both empires who never even imagined attacking each other. I was extremely surprised to see messages like ‘gathering a raid, need players of Level 150+ from any Empire. Translation provided’ or ‘guys, help me with this quest—I can’t kill these mobs’ popping up in the city chat in both languages at once. Who could have thought that the players could live harmoniously in a single city?
The Karmadont Chess Set (The Way of the Shaman: Book #5) LitRPG series Page 27