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

by Vasily Mahanenko

  "Teacher, tell me, how did you create these knives? How much labor does it take to make a wonder like this?"

  "It's a part of my flesh, so it didn't cost me anything to make it."

  "I don't understand. How can a dagger be made of flesh?" Geranika was holding something back. I had to find out how to free the Emperor's throne and he was throwing riddles at me.

  "I will show you now ..." the Shaman stopped, looked down at me and said, "so that you will be completely convinced, hit me with the knife."

  "As you wish, teacher!" I took out the smoking item and, barely giving it a thought, plunged it into where Geranika's heart should have been. Just in case he was wrong!

  The knife entered the Lord of Shadow's body up to the hilt, but judging by the man's smile, he didn’t feel a shred of discomfort. Neither did he disappear as a player normally would. Moreover, just a couple of seconds after I hit him, the knife was pulled into the NPC's body, as if something was sucking it inside.

  "Convinced now? There is a lot we’ll have to teach you: the old school has become too deeply ingrained in you. No matter, we shall be purging you of it shortly. Come!"

  After a few flights on the stair we found ourselves in a stone room of medium proportions, lit by a dozen torches. It could be provisionally divided into two parts: the first contained a table to which Kornik was chained – he was thin and worn out, all covered in cuts, but still alive – and the second ... the second part wasn't empty either. There, chained by each of its four legs, covered all over with various tubes, devices, chains and other incomprehensible things, stood the Unicorn. Or rather, a former Unicorn, because instead of a horn it had a tube that went into the wall. Ishni, the Heart of the Dark Forest in the flesh. ...

  "This is Midial's pride and joy," uttered Geranika, as he watched Barsina's reaction. The Druid immediately tried to heal the Unicorn, whose Hit Points were frozen on 1, but the only result of her actions was a smirk from the Dark Shaman. "This is the radiant Ishni, who is now busy destroying her own forest. I have to give my apprentice his due: he had no lack of imagination. It takes talent to think of taking emotions of light emanating from this relic of the past, and transforming them into the mist filling this forest. A good idea. Midial assured me that soon the Dark Forest will turn into the Cursed Forest; you'll just have to wait a little – a year or two at the most. Come then, apprentice, you have work to do here."

  "Is this the moment of truth then?" wrote Anastaria straight away. "Mahan, we already gained the abilities, at least five classes have been renewed, so I think you can afford to fail the quest. Consider it."

  "But what about finding out what that crystal is? Or where the Shadows in the Reverse Side come from? How did Geranika find them?" I immediately replied to the girl as I slowly followed the Shaman. If there was one thing I’d learned since meeting Anastaria it was how to use chat in a way that couldn't be detected by those around me. May not seem much, but it was an advantage all the same.

  "Your dagger." A dark dagger formed in Geranika's hand, which he passed towards me. "Plunge it into the heart of this green embarrassment and we will commence the in-depth exploration of the Reverse Side. We will be transported to the source of power, you'll go through the initiation and in time you will become my right hand, replacing Midial. Time to act, apprentice!"

  I took the dagger and slowly approached Kornik. Anastaria was right: this was the moment of truth. Now, either I refuse, get respawned at the Guardian's glade and bring Malabar the good news of the new abilities, or I kill Kornik and cross over to the Shadow. Moreover, if I refuse, the only punishment I would sustain would be being sent to the mines to await the decision of the parole committee. My Reputation would not be reduced, because I would’ve failed the quest, so things wouldn’t be too bad. I didn't have all that much to fear from several clans declaring war on me either: I had a specially trained Rogue to protect me. Now, what would happen if I complete the quest successfully? My Reputation would vanish, but it's not like I'd need it anymore. Furthermore, Plinto would follow me, as would my Officers. So it would just be Anastaria, who would refuse, and I had to think about Barsina. I wonder, would the Druid go against the rest of the world? I don't think so somehow: five against several hundred million? Pfft! Easy as pie!

  "Apprentice?" Geranika stepped next to me, his eyebrow raised questioningly, "You hesitate?"

  "No, teacher, I am thinking," I had no desire whatsoever to kill the unconscious goblin lying in front of me, so I was playing for time. I had to gather the courage to do that for which I’d come so far.

  "Then make me happy, apprentice, by sharing your thoughts," Geranika immediately suggested.

  "Mahan, I know you've probably had enough of me already, but the quest has been renewed once again." Anastaria just couldn't help herself, by the looks of it. "Now, again, it sounds like 'to prevent him from completing the trial'. All this gear changing is beginning to wear me down. I won't be doing anything – it's totally up to you now."

  "My, my! The first smart thought in a week!" a message from Plinto appeared. "Stacey, you'd better be careful with that, or you'll grow fond of this ‘thinking’ thing and may have to give up being a Paladin. What'd happen to carrying the Light to the masses via the time-honored 'fist in the face' method?"

  "Apprentice, have you fallen asleep?" Geranika distracted me from reading chat. "What are you thinking about?"

  "I think it would be wrong to kill Kornik with your dagger. It seems ... too simple somehow," I uttered, again playing for time as my gaze combed the room for anything that might help me. But nothing caught my eye except Ishni. I wonder, is she in pain without her horn? Horns?

  "So what do you propose?" asked Geranika in surprise, "Feed him to some beast?"

  "No," I smiled, having made my decision. "I have a different proposal. As far as I know, the Unicorn's horn is a very potent artifact of Light. It would carry great symbolic meaning to destroy the Harbinger of Light with such an object. It might even absorb the goblin's powers, becoming even more potent than before. Although I have no idea how it could be used when dealing with Shadows."

  "Ye-e-s!" said Geranika slowly, looking pleased. "For that we must make the goblin conscious again, so that he can see his powers being sucked into the horn with his own eyes. Pain, despair, hopelessness ... you are a worthy apprentice! Although you're wrong if you doubt the horn's usefulness! Ha ha ha!" To destroy a Harbinger of Light with a Unicorn's horn! Apprentice, I am proud of you!"

  "Oh! Mahan, you’ve gained an admirer. Now at least one NPC in all of Barliona will be friendly to you." That came from Clutzer ... you could see Plinto's tutelage right away. These two should really be kept apart or they'd catch all the worst habits from each other.

  "The horn." Geranika disappeared for a moment and returned with a red velvet box. "I will now bring the Harbinger back to consciousness, then you shall run him through and we will go on to conquer the world."

  I lifted the lid of the box and stared at Ishni’s large, thirty centimeter-long, spiraling, snow-white, broken-off horn. The thing I'd be using to kill Kornik in a few moments. I hoped that the horn of Light would absorb the Shaman's essence and not allow it to be destroyed. When I manage to escape from Geranika, I'll think of a way to bring back the Harbinger. I was sure this would somehow be possible. I couldn't think of another way to both complete Geranika's task and keep Kornik alive. Well, then ... I just had to hope that I wasn't wrong on this.

  "Apprentice!" the quiet, weak and somehow broken voice of the goblin reached my ears. "Are you with the traitor? The horn? You decided to absorb my powers? Yeees ... you will make a worthy Dark One ... you may rejoice now, traitor." His last words were for Geranika, who was standing at my side. "You got what you wanted. Barliona will be yours ..."

  "I always knew that, my vanquished foe," replied Geranika. "Before you die, you may say your final word to your killer."

  "A word? Is there any point? He went through the three trials; he destroyed everythin
g he believed in. I have nothing to say to him other than: I am disappointed ..."

  "Music ... Kornik, your words are music to my ears," smiled Geranika. "Apprentice, don't drag your heels now ..."

  When I heard the last words of the Harbinger I was engulfed with anger. He's disappointed?! So this ungrateful green bastard, whose essence I'm planning to save, is displeased? Well then ... if I chose to act, act I must. ...

  I lifted Ishni's horn above my head and froze. It was as if time had stopped: Geranika froze, Kornik was silent, having told me everything that he thought of me, even my clan was standing quietly aside, not daring to distract me by speaking. I looked into the brown eyes, wishing to find in them understanding, but there was only intense hatred there. ... Kornik believed that I had betrayed him. That's that then ... everyone is free to think as they please. The main thing was that I finally understood what had to be done. Despite the fog of hate, the goblin still clung to the hope of staying alive ... I'd better not disappoint my teacher then, even if he does think I’m a traitor. With these thoughts my hand went down.

  "NO-O-O!" A scream of pain sounded throughout the entire torture room. That's it; my choice had been made.

  "The fluffy northern beastie of doom has landed," Clutzer commented, just as I was being twisted in a whirlwind of changing abilities.

  "I agree," continued Plinto, "we're toast ..."

  Chapter Twelve. The Birth of the Dragon

  'The Making of a Dark Shaman' quest has been failed. After the completion of the scenario you will be transported to the Pryke Copper Mine.

  Your character has acquired a new class ability. The ability update has taken place for all players with the Shaman class.

  What can I say ...? When you start acting on instinct instead of logic, it can lead to some incredibly frightening stuff. My task was simple: to kill Kornik, allow Geranika to become my master, find out all his secrets and that was it – time for mass jubilation and rejoicing ... as if!

  "I renounce you, apprentice!" wheezed Geranika as he fell to the floor. Shadows started to shoot out of his hands, but were immediately sucked into the horn, vanishing into it as if it were an abyss. The horn itself started to do something unbelievable. I understood that it had no plans to end up in Geranika's chest, but why would it spread this strange glow around the entire NPC? It'd end up bumping him off at this rate. ...

  "From this moment on you will have no enemy more terrible in the whole of Barliona than me," spat the Dark Shaman and with a terrible scream tore the horn out of his chest, threw it at me and disappeared, leaving a large puddle of dark blood behind him.

  "Clutzer, Eric and Leite, hands on the bowls – gather the blood," Anastaria said, beginning to fire off commands straight away. "Plinto, free the prisoners. I'm on the door. Barsa, heal the goblin! Mahan, you must tell us why you decided to fail everything, but later. Ah, damn!"

  The same glow that had enveloped me a few moments earlier was spreading to all the other clan members, with one difference; the light aura failed to disappear. I picked up Ishni's horn (Geranika's throw lacked the strength to reach me), and looked at the other players. Lit up like a bunch of Christmas trees, they were examining their properties in complete astonishment.

  "While we are completing the scenario the cool down is 0 seconds," Eric read slowly, almost syllable by syllable, once he got back onto his feet.

  "Save the chit-chat for later. Plinto! Hurry up! Get the prisoners out! The blood is evaporating. Quick, get it into flasks! What do you mean you don’t have any?! What sort of raid prep is this? Here you go! Well that does it!"

  Anastaria's last shout was understandable: three Fallen Vampires flew into the torture room.

  "Argada Urhant!" shouted Eric and crashed into the incoming mobs at full speed. "I'll hold them!"

  I even managed a smile at the idea of a level 65 tank running toward three 250-level Fallen Vamps and screaming that he would hold them back, but in a few seconds my smile gave way to bewilderment. Eric was alive and well, while the Vampires ... the new arrivals froze as five Shadows emerged around each of them. They were also frozen – at least they weren't doing anything. So that's how future battles with Geranika's forces would go ... . The meaning of the ten seconds in the ability description became clear. For ten seconds a Shadow was vulnerable. ...

  "Take them down already!" shouted Eric, trying to destroy at least one Shadow. "I'm like a gnat next to elephants."

  "Plinto!" Anastaria and I shouted simultaneously, hurrying to the aid of the Warrior.

  "You really can't manage by yourselves?" grumbled the Rogue, and then turned into a whirlwind, speeding past me and circling around the mobs. In a few seconds the Shadows were gone. Tiredly, with a clearly audible sigh of relief, the Vampires hit the floor and ... fell asleep. ...

  "Mahan, don't just stand there! Help me free the prisoners! Would you gather the Lord of Shadow's blood already? Barsa! Why is Kornik's Life Bar not at maximum? Guys, stop faffing around! Geranika could come back at any moment!"

  "He will not come, Siren," croaked the goblin, as soon as Clutzer removed the steel clamp holding the Shaman's head in place. "The Horn of Ishni did what I lacked the strength to do ..."

  "So my guess was right then? He was immortal, but now he can be destroyed?"

  "Why is everyone calling you a Siren, by the way?" Plinto immediately butted in. "You good at signing or something? Or is it the usual: 'I'm a girl with a secret and my lips are sealed’?"

  "Yes, you are correct, Paladin-General of Eluna." Kornik tried to sit up, but despite being completely healed, lacked the strength for it. "A Unicorn's horn cannot destroy anyone, but it can strip someone of their invulnerability. From this day on, Geranika has ceased being a god and even this unknown source of power of his won't save him: a splinter of the horn became embedded in him forever. So, it looks like you've been hiding your special nature ... believe this sick old goblin – this is foolish. The very rumor that Sirens are still alive could lead to some very interesting developments. Think about that ..."

  I don't get it: did the Game Administration just use Kornik to openly tell Anastaria that revealing her race would lead to a quest? Hmmm ... looks like the girl will pick up another quest chain, either a normal one or a scenario ... damn, and she'll be doing it back in Phoenix, of course. I had to have a chat with Stacey about that, perhaps we'd get invited too. ...

  "You have my thanks, Harbinger." It looked like Anastaria's thoughts were traveling along similar lines, because she managed to bow to Kornik, even if it meant stopping the freeing of Ishni for a moment. "I will think about your words ..."

  "As for you, the twice-fallen … " As soon as the last clamp holding the goblin in place was removed, the Harbinger's brown eyes rested on me. Very unlike his usually wry look, this cold, heavy stare went right through me. "You and I are going to have a long and thorough talk. You will explain to me why Yalininka and Almis had to die, and then we will go to Renox, where you will tell him why his son left this world forever."

  "Teacher," I tried to explain myself, but Kornik immediately interrupted me.

  "You are not worthy of calling me that name!" Where on earth did this NPC get so much energy to put behind his words? "You are neither worthy of the 'Great Shaman' title, nor of the Dragon Totem, nor of having been taught at all! You betrayed everything you believed in when you bought into Geranika's promises. I mourn the day when you flew to Farstead, dooming Almis to an inglorious death ...." After this tirade Kornik abruptly jumped to his feet, muttered something like "I'm sorry, Ishni, I can't ..." and disappeared.

  "Plinto hold the door! Small fries, help embody the Shadows! Barsa, switch to the Unicorn, I don't like that single Hit Point she's on. Mahan! You can cry about your missed opportunities later! Got any scrolls? Then heal Ishni."

  After giving everyone their orders, Anastaria once again turned to untangling the Unicorn. As soon as the last tube covering the terrible wound on Ishni's head was disconnected, the legs of the He
art of the Dark Forest gave way and she fell to the floor.

  "Heal harder!" growled Anastaria, frantically starting to heal the victim. "She may die!"

  "Argada Urhant!" Eric's exclamation came from somewhere behind us, Clutzer was shouting something, Plinto was laughing ... looked like the guys were having fun back there!

  "It is futile, Paladin." Ishni's calm and clear voice sounded throughout the torture room. With effort, the Unicorn lifted her head and looked at Anastaria. "It is not within your power to save me, Siren. Even the uninitiated Dragon standing next to you is incapable of healing me. I wouldn't survive an hour without my horn or the energy that was fed to me by this tube. Only Eluna has the power to heal me, but I do not see a Priest among you who would be able to appeal to her ..."

  "We have the horn," Anastaria immediately replied, "we can restore it if you only tell us how."

  "That is impossible." Ishni shook her head. "I shall say it again, only the Goddess has the power to heal this."

  "Argh!" growled Anastaria and stopped healing. "Is there anything we can do for you? I swear by the goodwill of the Goddess that I will carry out your last wish!"

  Yeah ... so this is how Anastaria has come to have such high reputation among NPCs. I really had a great deal to learn from her still: she's trying to fish out a quest even from an NPC who's at death's door. I would have never thought of this. ...

  "Tell the Guardian of the Dark Forest that ..."

  "Quiet, you!" I interrupted the Unicorn. "Ishni, do you really think that we’d allow you to die without trying everything to save you first? Anastaria, Barsa, don't stop healing for a second!"

  "Dragon! It is not within your power ..." Ishni persisted.