The Phantom Castle (The Way of the Shaman: Book #4) LitRPG series

by Vasily Mahanenko

  Dragon Rank promoted. Current Rank: 6

  Your character has acquired a new ability: ‘Waking flight, not dreaming flight’: Movement speed in Dragon Form increased by 200%.

  Dragon Rank 6. Well, well! I’m squealing from joy and my eyes, they overflow from happiness. I wish they would all go through the Acceleration levels too and then try and say that I’m too young and inexperienced. And yet I truly am happy that I have received the speed boost. Now I can really race Plinto and figure out who is faster, me or his phoenix.

  “So this is the legendary Dragonland?” asked Kalatea, looking around the mountains. “A bit chilly here.”

  “You are mistaken, oh daughter of Astrum,” Renox replied. “Dragonland is the place where your country’s dragons went to. We stay in touch with them, but their lairs are unfamiliar to us. They are much too small and hot. The Dragons of Malabar prefer cold and expanse. Our wings must always be spread out. I welcome you to the lands of Vilterax!”

  “Very nice,” muttered Kornik like a jealous husband. “It’s time for us to head out. The head of the Council wishes to give wonder boy here a reward.” He nodded in my direction and added, “Too bad I have no idea where he is.”

  “What do you mean you have no idea?” Astonishment made me forget the pain in my body. “You were appointed head of the Council, remember? You can give me my prize right here and now. I don’t feel like going anywhere.”

  “I am acting head,” Kornik raised a finger expressively, “which duties I have already performed. Get up. There’s no use lolling about here! You’ll find out everything on your own in a second.”

  “So who is the new head?” I asked with surprise. I transformed back into my human form and cast a dome of protection on myself to keep the cold out.

  “What do you think? That we don’t have enough Harbingers? These days, Malabar’s crawling with them!” Kornik smiled and touched my shoulder and as he did so, the mountains of Vilterax vanished.

  “Here you are,” came Kornik’s satisfied voice, while my sight adjusted to the twilight. “You can get the process under way, while I have a chat with my sweet colleague from Astrum.

  I looked around and shuddered. Again this stupid deja vu: I am standing in sand, with walls of stone all around me and judges hanging two meters overhead. This time, however, there was no Emperor with his army of Advisers. On the other hand, the entire Shaman Council was here, headed by…I could not believe it!

  “High Shaman Mahan!” the new head’s baritone thundered through the hall. “The Shaman Council has confirmed the veracity of your accusations. From now on, we declare Shiam our mortal foe. We have identified the traitor. As a result of this incident, great changes await the Shamans. We need to grow and become competitive with the other classes, thereby regaining our earlier might. As the new head, this shall become my main task. As for now, the time has come to reward you. As head of the Shaman Council, I grant you this helm! With the staff of Almis, it will complete your set of armor. From now on, you will look like a true High Shaman.”

  Acquired item: Shamanic Helm of Unparalleled Inspiration. Durability: Unbreakable. Description: + (Player Level x 5) to Intellect, + (Player Level x 2) to Endurance, + (Player Level x 3) to protection from all damage types. Item class: Scaling. Level restrictions: None.

  Reputation with Spirits of Higher and Lower Worlds increased by 1000 points. Current level: Friendly. Points until Respectful: 390.

  Reputation with the Shaman Council has increased by 1000 points. Current level: Friendly. Points remaining until Respectful: 1735.

  Wow! My reputation with the Supreme Spirits had increased twice: Once during my battle with Shiam and now. It was slow going of course, and yet gradually I was approaching the rank of Harbinger. By the way, Kornik had mentioned that the new head was a Harbinger. Had they really promoted him?

  “Now that you are armored as a true High Shaman,” Prontho went on, “the time has come to give you your true reward. Hear me, Council!” shouted Prontho and looked around the gathered Shamans. “Is this sentient worthy of our blessing?”

  “Hah,” Kornik looked away from the orcess and stood up from his seat. “Prontho is rushing things as usual—like a naked orc after an elven maiden—and yet he is right! A month ago, I all but rejected my pupil, having decided that he had betrayed us. However, at the last moment, I felt that I had made a mistake. I had spent too long in captivity and my reason overwhelmed my feelings. So I decided to ignore the matter and leave the rejection of my pupil to the court. I was wrong and Mahan saw his journey to its very end, showing everyone how a true Shaman must act. He is worthy of our blessing!”

  “One Harbinger has made the proposal and another has supported it. Does anyone care for the opinion of the Supreme Spirits after such an endorsement?” the voice of Almis came from my right as my first teacher got to his feet. “I suppose I am the only Supreme Spirit to cross paths with this walking wonder. I made my decision long ago when I handed him my staff. I see no point in repeating the words of Prontho and Kornik. This man is indeed worthy of our blessing.”

  One after the other, the Shamans stood up from their seats and confirmed my right to receive the shamanic blessing, about which, I am ashamed to admit, I know absolutely nothing. Maybe another bonus that will boost my stats? I have one from Eluna already, so now I’ll have one from the Shamans too. Alongside this hat I just got, this seems to me a pretty sufficient reward for having Prontho appointed head Shaman of Malabar.

  “We have made our decision!” Prontho spoke triumphantly as some whimsical tune began to sound beneath the hall’s vaulted ceiling. Some of the Shamans were rattling their tambourines, others clapped their palms against their knees, and my consciousness gradually sank beneath these piercing rhythms. Images began to rush past my eyes, my head began to spin as if I had inhaled too much smoke, I began to feel ill, but the steady rhythm of the beaten tambourines refused to release my mind to my senses.

  You have received a minor Shamanic Blessing. Description: All stats increased by 10%.

  All my stats? So this was like Eluna’s blessing then? Elizabeth had increased them by 15%, whereas the Shaman Council only increased them by 10%? A bit weak, of course, but it will do. Glancing at my properties, I was about to close them when my eyes noticed something unusual. Looking more closely, I understood that Elizabeth’s 15% bonus was child’s play compared to this boost from the Shamans…The minor Shamanic Blessing increased all of my stats, not just the base ones. The bonus extended to everything, including Endurance, Charisma, Spirituality and…and Crafting! The ten percent only came out to +1 to this vital character attribute, but that was just for the moment, while my Crafting was still at a low level. If each piece from the Karmadont Chess Set would grant me a point to Crafting, then in a year’s time, when I’ll have about 16 points, the blessing’s bonus will be +2! The next question, then, is what does a full blessing entail and how can I get it?

  “Fun time you guys are having here,” jested Kalatea when we returned back to the training grounds. I glanced at the clock and saw that it was ten till nine. If I don’t book it to the Golden Horseshoe right this instant, I won’t make the clan meeting and Stacey will kill me. Then again, I’d love to talk to this orcess too!

  “True. Listen, I have to run right now. I have a meeting at nine and I can’t reschedule. Can we meet again tomorrow?”

  “That won’t be necessary. I’ve already learned everything I needed to. You see, I needed to make sure that a real Shaman had become a Dragon, and not just some player who sank a ton of money into the game, buying everything he wished. I don’t want to get in your way, but I don’t want to help you either. You must continue on your own. If you wish to enter the Order of the Dragons, our doors will always be open to you. I will ask Natalie to put together some information for you about our Order. Look over it and make your decision. We can have a proper talk then. I’m not saying farewell, by the way, so much as ‘Until we meet again.’ I look forward to monit
oring your progress from a distance. By the way, as far as I remember, no one has ever forced a change in the Council’s leadership. I’m even afraid to ask where you dug up such a quest. Good luck to you, oh High One.”

  Kalatea embraced me and dissolved right in my arms. A very useful trick that I should hurry up and acquire for myself. But okay—it was time for the clan meeting!

  Chapter 3. The Riddle of the Castle

  “You are expected. Please follow me.”

  The Golden Horseshoe guarded its reputation as the most exclusive establishment in Barliona very jealously. Even the servers here were staffed by players who had undergone a strict selection process. Upright, unblemished and constantly smoothing some nonexistent wrinkle, they were impossible to tell apart from NPCs—and they would disappear and appear just as suddenly as their digital counterparts. I can’t say that I would enjoy spending eight game hours a day serving other players, but these fellows seemed happy with their lot. The main thing was not to ask how much they were paid. This, so as not to torture oneself unnecessarily. Rumor had it that even the barbacks in the Golden Horseshoe earned well over a 100,000 gold a month. Everything here was expensive and solemn

  “Here you are sir!” The server threw back a curtain and ushered me into the niche within. Anastaria, Plinto, Barsina, Eric, Leite and Clutzer. The six new Barons of Barliona, my entire modest clan, sat at the table and looked me up and down with curiosity. I must admit that in comparison to my previous leather outfit, which Rick had crafted for me, in this costume I look quite different. Any patron visiting the Golden Horseshoe would be automatically dressed in attire that fit the status of this establishment. However, if the Emperor decides that a player is capable of looking better (and I would hope that for 300,000 gold he would!), then the player may show off a bit before his friends-companions-intimates.

  “It’s like you’ve stepped out of a portrait, your Earlship!” Eric joked, turning back to the plate before him. Taking some green sludge which reminded me of the gruel back in Pryke, the dwarf began to consume it with gusto. If I am not mistaken, this is his second visit to the Horseshoe, so there’s nothing strange about his appetite—the food in the restaurant was perfect.

  Unlike me, Anastaria had accepted the establishment’s offer and—instead of the divine and snow-white gown she had worn at the palace—was now wearing an ordinary dress from the Golden Horseshoe. It was me who, having pressed “NO,” looked like the odd man out. Where was my brain anyway?

  “Well you know how these things are,” I uttered some platitude to be polite and sat down in the only available seat at the head of the table. Realizing that everyone was focused on the food and that until they were done eating it, there could be no meaningful conversation, I called the server over.

  “Are you ready to order?” the server appeared beside me a few seconds later and looked at me inquiringly. Like a genie from the bottle, I swear.

  “I would like your finest herbal infusion and the Roast de Raton,” I ordered, recalling what I had had the last time I was here. Practice had shown that trying new things in a tavern was a bit dangerous, so I decided not to risk it.

  “Right away, sir,” the server replied and immediately vanished as if he had teleported away. Really exactly like a genie!

  “An Earl eating a Roast de Raton,” said Clutzer, unable to keep from remarking on my choice. “It’s a bit below your station, isn’t it, your Lordship? Or is it Earlship? Well, whatever the moniker, come on and tell us how you got it! Waiting for you to show up, we’ve come up with a hundred theories already. Stacey is the only one who’s been sitting there silently, as if she knows something!”

  “I also want to know how you managed to do this,” Barsina spoke up. “I was in a meeting with a possible recruit. I could see that he wasn’t too interested in our low-level clan and then suddenly, boom, that notification appeared! Baroness Barsina. Magdey (that was the recruit’s name) hopped on board instantly. He even promised to find a few other players. At any rate, we shouldn’t have any trouble with getting the raiders together. So you can add me to your audience, eager to hear this captivating tale of yours.”

  “Well, they sure did frame you quite nicely, what can I say,” said Anastaria as soon as I finished recounting my adventures. I had to tell my fighters everything, starting with the crafting of Tavia’s Tears and ending with my meeting with the Emperor, after which Anastaria was the first to speak. But what was she on about with this?

  I may as well have spoken this last thought out loud because Anastaria immediately began to explain her statement:

  “You’ve just been exiled from Anhurs for three months, by means of a gifted castle. He even gave you two extra weeks—like it’s some present. All right, I can see from your expressions, no one understands what I’m talking about. I’ll start at the beginning. When a clan receives a castle, then either its head or whoever is designated as the castle’s owner, must spend three months in said castle. Only after this time period does the castle become the true home territory of the clan. Of course, you can leave the castle—but for no longer than a day. A player has two weeks to take care of all his business and head on over to his new domain. This is what happened with all three of Phoenix’s castles. I doubt they’ll change the rules for us. It follows that Mahan just said goodbye to all quests involving a journey somewhere for the next three months. For instance, the destruction of Geranika’s dagger—you know, the one that’s stuck in the Emperor’s throne. There’s just over two months left until the end of that quest. The Dungeon where the relic is hidden has been found, and the Phoenix, Dragons and Heirs are all raiding it at the moment. But okay, this is somewhat beside the point. Basically, Mahan now has to act as owner for the next three months, minus two weeks. It’s too late to change this position and anyway, these functions can’t be delegated.”

  “Well that’s good news,” I said sadly, realizing what lay in store for me over the next three months. Yet another three-month-long imprisonment. How much more of this could I take? Then, another ‘happy’ thought occurred to me: “And then if we don’t kill that monster, then my stay in the castle can turn out wasted? They’ll take away both the castle and the title and I’ll have to sit around for another three months in Drangor?”

  “This is why you need to assign an owner. A player who can stay in the castle and work on developing it.”

  “Developing it?”

  “Urusai is a Level 1 castle. At least, all the castles that Phoenix received were that level. Like a player, a castle doesn’t have a maximum level. However, it is exponentially harder to reach the next level as you level up. I could be mistaken, but I think they’ve just given us some ruins with—considering the bit about the monster—a Dungeon. In order to reach Level 2, the castle needs to be completely rebuilt until it resembles what it originally looked like. For that you’ll need Masons, Sculptors, Artisans. It’ll cost some money for sure! After that, to get to the third level, the castle’s territory must be expanded to twice its current area. The fourth level involves creating new buildings, upgrading existing ones and so on and so forth. The upside is a place to store materials and items. The downside is the money you’ll have to spend on it. And still a further downside is the possibility of players attacking the castle and looting its vaults, so generally everyone does their best to level up their castles as quickly as possible.”

  “What does anyone need vaults for anyway?” Leite asked, surprised. “If you need to store something, you can just start a letter and then attach whatever items you need.”

  “Sure, you can do that too,” Anastaria agreed. “But remember that a player can only store up to 60 items in their mail. So the most valuable things, yes, you save them that way. But if you need to hold on to a mountain of materials, then the mail won’t do. The boys at the Corporation aren’t idiots. The mailbox is a form of personal storage for players who aren’t in a clan. It’s not much, but it more than does the job. For clans, however, only castles will do. For
example, Phoenix owes us a ton of rare resources for the Dark Forest. If Ehkiller suddenly demanded that we take the resources he owes us this instant, where would we put them? It wouldn’t all fit into the mailbox. We couldn’t even take all of it! The only solution is a castle vault. Either your own, or a rented one that belongs to some other clan. I have several contacts who can offer that kind of service. If you’re interested, I can put you in touch.”

  “Not at the moment, but thank you,” I replied. “Okay. I think I understand the whole castle business now, more or less. Now I just have to decide what to do about the monster.”

  “You? What do you have to do with it?” Plinto asked in surprise. “All you have to do is send me and Anastaria into the Dungeon, wait, wait a little more, and—bam!—no monster! It’s not like there would be a Level 400 boss in Narlak. At most that monster’s a Level 250. I could take him with one arm tied behind my back, but of course a healer never hurts—especially one who can look the boss in the face and let him have a piece of her mind. As I see it, there is an entirely different problem.”

  “Problem?”

  “Three months in such a backwater, away from Anhurs, is just too much. And far. In two months, the Patriarch is training us for the second time. Surely, Mahan, you won’t miss that. That’s just a fact. It follows that we have to prepare ourselves for the training, since losing a month’s worth of play time isn’t a good idea. That first training cost me too much as it is. So we will have to leave you early, for about a month. Considering that we still have two weeks before we are teleported to our castle, I’ll only be able to spend about 10–15 days with you, no more.”

  “That’s true,” Anastaria concurred with the Rogue. “I can’t spend the entire time with you either. I have business to take care of here too.”