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

by Vasily Mahanenko

  “Oh, we’re going to get it, I just know,” sighed the girl, yet she followed her brother. It was far from the canyon to the glade, so they had to hurry…

  “Didn’t I tell you? These berries are really something else!” Rorg muttered happily, sending another handful of raspberry into his maw.

  “Uh-huh. Sho tashty!” replied his sister with her mouth full. She had never tried such sweet berries in her life.

  It seemed like the perfect day, when suddenly…

  “Alpha Squad! Determine whether any adults are present! If they are, terminate them! Shamans—return the glade to its prior state. Perhaps another one of these beasts will come for this raspberry. Beta Squad—grab these two boogers and bring them in for interrogation. On the double!”

  This was when Rorg realized that such delicious raspberries were no more than artificially flavored illusions conjured up by some orcish shamans. Enemies! The children tried to run away, but the sudden drowsiness literally knocked them off their feet. It seemed like a moment had passed and their eyes rolled back treacherously, making the little ogre fall asleep…

  “I’ll ask you again!” the orc yelled in his face. “How do we get past the sentries? Well?”

  The interrogation was in its second hour. Rorg remained stubbornly silent, understanding very well that if he divulged the way into the canyon, his whole tribe could just as well be struck from this world. Long, long ago, mages had sealed the entrance with a special spell lost to time, so the orcs, who owned the local lands, could do absolutely nothing about their ogre neighbors. The Shamans merely scratched their heads, powerless to breach the seal.

  “If you don’t answer, we’ll kill her,” roared an executioner and threw back the curtain. Behind it, fettered to a post like Rorg, was Gragaza.

  It took the children a mere glance to understand that allowing the orcs to reach their beloved mother, their baby sister who had only recently learned to toddle, and their granddad who had taught them how to wield a spear—was out of the question. Even if they were tortured in front of each other. Better they, than their entire kin.

  “As you like,” grinned the orc with a bloody smile and reached for a sharp-looking implement. “Let’s hear the sound of ogre piglets squealing…”

  * * *

  “They died yet did not betray their people,” drawled the girl, yawning. Try as I might, I hadn’t been able to avoid the worst in our collaborative fairy tale—the grim child had killed the little ogres with her last sentence. I had been planning on telling of how the parents had battled the orcs to save their children, but…

  “Yes, they killed them. Since then, all ogres venerate the two children who refused to betray their people and gave their lives in the process,” I finished the tale and with astonishment looked up to find the Plague slumbering peacefully. Having come up with such a bloody ending to the tale, she had placed her head on my knee and fallen asleep. It looked like she was having a nice dream because such an open and kind smile would have been impossible if she had been beset by nightmares. Maybe she was dreaming of her family again beside her, as if no nightmare in a Dragon’s guise had every visited her? Who knew…?

  I didn’t want to move for fear of disturbing the child’s sleep, so I got some Alexandrite from my bag, equipped my Crafting items and entered design mode. Why not try and craft two Battle Ogres, which, in effect, are little children who didn’t listen to their parents but overcame all pain? Two ogre pups who went to their deaths for the lives of their own people. It really was a fairy tale worthy of ending up on the chess board.

  The projections of two little ogres immediately appeared before my eyes. Typically grim, at the moment they were smiling, as if happy with the world. It was as if they had just eaten some delicious raspberries and life seemed to them cloudless and wonderful. I didn’t even have to put much work into shaping them—the figurines were already perfect. Adding the Alexandrite to the design mode, I tarried for a moment afraid of waking the girl, then combined it with the projections. Typically, one figurine would take me several days, so the girl should have long since woken up and run away. After all, I was a Dragon.

  Congratulations! You have advanced along the path of recreating the Legendary Chess Set of Emperor Karmadont, founder of the Malabar Empire. Wise and just, the Emperor offered his opponents the opportunity to settle their disputes with him over the chessboard instead of on the field of battle. Each type of Chess piece was made from a different stone. Pawns: The Malachite Orc Warriors (Creator: Mahan) and Lapis Lazuli Dwarf Warriors (Creator: Mahan). Rooks: The Alexandrite Battle Ogres (Creator: Mahan) and Tanzanite Giants. Knights: A War Lizard of Tourmaline and a War Horse of Amethyst. Bishops: Troll archers of Emerald and Elf archers of Aquamarine. Queens: An Orc Shaman of Peridot and an Elemental Human Archmage of Sapphire. Kings: The head of the White Wolf Clans, an orc of green Diamond and the Emperor of the Malabar Empire, a human of blue Diamond. The Chessboard: black Onyx and white Opal, framed in white and yellow Gold. Numbers and letters on the chessboard: Platinum.

  After the death of the Emperor the chess set was destroyed. Now it remains only to your skill whether Barliona will again see this truly great wonder of the world—the Legendary Chess set of Emperor Karmadont.

  You have created the Alexandrite Battle Ogres from the Legendary Chess set of Emperor Karmadont. While the chess pieces are in your possession, you will regenerate 1% of your Hit Points, Mana and Energy per minute, this in addition to your standard regeneration; +30 Attractiveness to all NPCs younger than 18.

  Skill increase:

  +1 to Crafting. Total: 9

  +5 to primary profession of Jewelcrafting. Total: 114

  You created a Legendary item. Your reputation with all previously encountered factions has increased by 500.

  “You are no Dragon,” said a child’s voice beside me. I turned to see the Plague observing me intently. “My name is Gerda. That’s what my mom called me.”

  “Hello Gerda. It’s nice to make your acquaintance. Like I already told you, I’m Mahan. A Dragon.”

  “Dragons can’t turn into people!” Gerda stated with such assurance that you could have taken her for a specialist on this race. “Therefore, you are not a Dragon. No point in trying to fool me!”

  “Okay, and what if I do this?” I got to my feet and changed forms. I heard a suppressed squeal and Gerda fell to the ground and began to scrape it with her feet as she tried to crawl away from me. The child’s face displayed such a sincere horror that I instantly turned back into human form and shook my head, not daring to approach the girl. “There you go. When I’m in human form, you’re not scared of me. As soon as I become myself, you become terrified.”

  “Was that really you?” Gerda asked indecisively, halting her backpedal.

  “Again, not all Dragons are evil and not all people are good. Look, I’ll turn into a Dragon again and you try your best not to get scared. Deal?”

  “I…I will try,” the girl replied on the verge of tears. What I liked the most though was that the grown up voice that had so unsettled me when we had first met had gone. At the moment, standing before me was an ordinary small child who was simply terrified of Dragons—which was pretty normal.

  “Oh!” exclaimed Gerda as soon as I turned into a Dragon again; however, this time she didn’t collapse and try to escape. “S-s-say some-something! P-please!” asked the girl, stuttering from the terror that still possessed her.

  “It’s the same old me, in a different form,” I reassured her. “You can approach me and poke me with your finger. Do you want me to give you a ride? We can fly around like birds!” I recalled the recent episode with Lana.

  “We can fly?” The child’s eyes flashed and she took a step towards me. “Like birds?”

  “I swear on Eluna. I am Dragon Mahan and I will do everything I can to return you to the earth in one piece if you take me up on the offer. If you get scared, I will land immediately. May Eluna be my witness—I don’t wish to cause you any ha
rm.”

  I don’t know what the developers had spiked this Imitator’s logic with, but the probability that the girl might think something ill of me was very high: “He’s offering a ride so that he can throw me off. Or scare me so bad that my heart will stop. Dragons are like that after all!” It was only when an aura appeared around me, indicating that the goddess had accepted my words, that the child took a second, uncertain step in my direction. Then another one. And another…

  Trembling like a leaf in the breeze, afraid to lift her head, the little girl was standing beside me, shifting from foot to foot. I stayed silent, unwilling to prod her to a final decision and waited to see which would triumph: the girl’s hate of Dragons or her desire to soar among the clouds.

  “But how am I supposed to climb atop you?” asked the girl after several minutes, placing with a slight tremble her hand on my paw. Sprawling down onto the earth I let her mount on my neck and carefully, as if afraid to drop her, rose up into the air.

  Ding!

  “You have failed your trial!” proclaimed a bombastic voice. No sooner had I landed and allowed the giddy child dismount safely to the ground, than a light flashed before my eyes and I found myself back in the enormous hall piled with treasures. “You are unworthy of the title of ‘Dragon of the Blue Flame!’ Just like your father in his later years, you are spineless, good-natured and rely only on conscience and feelings—instead of reason and loyalty to your race. As sons of the Dragon who once founded this order, you are permitted to take with you his armor and select no more than one item for yourself! After that, the doors to this treasure vault will shut themselves to you forever!

  Quest received: ‘A heartfelt conversation.’ Description: Travel to Vilterax and speak with the head of the Dragons to discover the truth about the times of the Dragons’ grandeur. Quest type: Unique to your race. Quest reward: Variable. Penalty for failing or refusing the quest: None.

  Renox’s armor and one additional item? Or—considering that Draco is my Totem—two items?! Instead of getting my restless little paws on the entire treasure vault, I’m supposed to content myself with just two toys? How was I supposed to do that unfortunate trial in order to pass it? Kill the girl? What would be the point of that? She no longer hates Dragons and therefore the rest of my brood should survive. Was I wrong to persuade her? And what is the significance of the statement that I am unworthy of the title of Dragon of the Blue Flame? How am I spineless? What a bunch of nonsense. In my heart of hearts, I can sense that Renox owes me one very unpleasant for him conversation.

  Dragon Armor Set acquired. Description: The set is tied to your Dragon Form and may not be removed or altered while in human form. The wearer of the armor set takes 40% less damage and flies 30% faster. Set Type: Unique to the race. Requirements: Dragon Rank 5 or higher.

  All right, the set is clear to me. In effect, having allowed me to reach the Fifth Dragon Rank, the developers allowed me to put on a uniform befitting of my new rank. I can’t take it off and there’s nothing to switch it for. From this angle, I’m happy with the outcome. From another, hell, from any other angle, I’ll have to leave the treasure vault untouched and unpilfered. A single item can hardly be missed around here.

  The voice remained silent so I began to walk along the mounds of items, trying to look away from the gold. I can just sense that the single item will be a gold one. No one’s about to let me haul away a pile as ‘one item.’ So I’ll have to select an item that I know will come in handy right now as well as later, when I level up. The only answer to this is an item with Crafting.

  “May I reorganize the items in here?” I inquired, realizing that I could spend a long time digging in these caverns. “I’d like to place all items with Crafting in one pile, so that I can make an informed decision and not have to poke my finger at the first chain or ring I come across. Can that be done?”

  “Choose on your own!” came the response, in whose voice I caught a note of true pleasure at my quandary.

  Oh boy. This guy’s a jerk on top of it all. All it took was one glance at a Rare Breastplate with such characteristics that my heart skipped a beat, for me to understand that several incredibly unpleasant hours lay ahead. The Breastplate of Intellect that I saw would serve a player of Level 330, so Stacey, for example, would never say no to it. I would surely profit with another kiss for such a generous present, and yet I wanted to find something for myself. But how was I supposed to find items with Crafting among these mountains of stuff? Would I really have to turn everything upside down?

  “Brother, look at this armor I got,” Draco popped up beside me all shimmering in his new outfit. Judging by its characteristics, he had received the same set I had, so now my Totem would be 40% harder to kill than before. Very pleasant news, that! “I heard you’re looking for Crafting items?” asked Draco when I was about to truly despair. “While you were away doing your trial, I looked through the majority of the stuff around here and only found one item with Crafting. And what an item it is! I don’t even know how to describe it to you. You have to see it with your own eyes! Let’s go!”

  Turning into my Dragon Form and finding to my surprise that my timer had long since elapsed—that is, according to the rules, I was no longer allowed to transform—I flew behind my Totem.

  “There,” Draco scowled joyfully, pointing with his paw at a small source of light shrouded by a piece of cloth. Flying up to it, I discovered that the light source was actually a smith’s hammer, similar to the one I had in my Smithing Set. When I cast aside the fabric, I was forced to squint—so bright, relative to the dusk of the treasure vault, was its illumination. When the light ceased to hurt my eyes, I checked the hammer’s characteristics and froze:

  Gladir of Borhg Goldhand. Description: In the Black Maw, Borhg Goldhand encountered a sage being that endowed him with its wisdom and helped him forge this Hammer. Seven Masters of the Undermountain Kingdom used Gladir to create the Legendary Radiant Set, the Pride of the Dwarves. +5 to Crafting. Item class: Legendary.

  “The second son has made his choice,” said the voice and the air around me began to move as though I had found myself in the middle of a small tornado. “The doors to this treasure vault are shut to you forevermore. Now it is the turn of the founder’s first son to choose. He who should not exist but was reincarnated in a Totem’s form…”

  “Who should not exist?” asked Draco with surprise and halted his circling.

  “What do you know about the exile of the Dragons?” the voice suddenly asked, as if it wished to have a chat. Considering its earlier tone, this was strange indeed.

  “There was no exile.” It was my turn to be surprised. “The Dragons left this world, for they had completed all their duties as Guardians.”

  “Never were the Dragons the Guardians of this world,” parried the voice. “All the races that flooded Malabar in the ancient times when the Dragons soared through the skies were their slaves. It is impossible to be the keeper of slaves. One can only be their master…and so the Dragons were. The pitiful sheep were slaughtered without quarter or mercy. Masters don’t need the unwilling. This world was destined to become a world where the Dragons were deities, but then Eluna interfered. No one knows what happened between her and Aarenoxitolikus, but suddenly he transformed into one of those slaves whom he had formerly annihilated. He became soft, sensitive, thoughtful…Gathering around himself those who thought like him over the course of centuries, the head of the most powerful clan of this world left it, leaving it all behind. Eluna prohibited their return, while a hunt ensued throughout Barliona after those that remained. Over the course of two millennia, practically all of the Dragons were exterminated.”

  “Practically?” it was my turn to be surprised. “You mean to say that there is still a living Dragon somewhere in Barliona?”

  “Not just one! On this continent as well as on others. They froze and changed, but just like in the ancient times, they remain true to the ideals of the Dragons of the Blue Flame! Unlike thei
r exiled brethren!”

  “What does exile have to do with it? The Dragons left and that’s a fact! Even in your own account, there’s no mention of exile. Renox left on his own, taking with him those Dragons that chose the path of reason. No one exiled them.”

  “He was exiled by his own breed! Once he submits to be governed by his feelings, a Dragon loses his right to life—and Renox, as you call him, knew this better than the rest. He was the one who came up with this law and followed it for many thousands of years. Unable to return to this world, Renox began to influence it, striking from the memories of sentients any mention of the Dragons’ dominion and substituting them with fairy tales about Guardians. The short-lived ones have a tendency to forget everything quickly—even their own humiliation, even their own triumph, though the latter never occurred. After two generations, everyone believed that the Dragons were the Guardians of Barliona, forever forgetting their own slavery. Even the Elves struck the Dragons’ rule from their chronicles, leaving but a brief mention of their existence. Renox is most guilty of the fall of the Dragon race and now two of his sons, one adopted, the other reborn, dare stand here and demand a reward!”

  “Why shouldn’t I exist?” Draco repeated his question.

  “Ask your father! He will tell you many interesting things, for example, the manner of your death.”

  “He died battling the ice giants!” I exclaimed, recalling my conversation with Renox.

  “I don’t intend on praising or denigrating the apostate. He must tell you the truth himself—about his exile and his son’s role in it!” said the Guardian, ending the conversation.

  Well, here we are then.

  Everything that I knew until then about Dragons was that they were wise, caring and utterly unmalicious flying lizards that, for whatever reason, were warring with the Sirens, the Cyclops and, unless I’m mistaken, the Titans. My first encounter with Renox had only confirmed this fact. The green one had seemed to me not only a wise but also a truly generous Dragon. The coordinates of two Dungeons in which one could find treasures gathered over many generations by the Dragons, was a truly majestic gift for a player like me. And in the end, I couldn’t even complete the first Dungeon, having failed my trial. Something tells me that I would have failed it no matter what: The developers would never make the mistake of providing a prisoner the key to his liberty. The sale of even half of what was located in this hall would allow me to buy my freedom as well as that of my Officers. It followed that this Dungeon was impassable by definition and had been conceived with the single goal of equipping me with the proper Dragon gear. It followed that, for my constructive interaction with the girl, I was also granted the bonus of Gladir and another as yet unselected item. However, not even in a drunken stupor would I have imagined that the Dragons were the scourge of Malabar, or that all peoples and races groaned beneath their yoke, or that to see a Dragon in times past was an ill omen…I’m not even sure whether I should share the video I recorded with Anastaria. This kind of truth, I have little desire to publish. Let everyone go on thinking that the Dragons are Guardians. Besides, Renox did try to stop Geranika when he froze the players near Beatwick Village…All in all, I would need to speak with the giant green lizard before I made any decisions.