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

by Vasily Mahanenko

  “At this very moment, I have only one answer to both questions: I don’t know and have to look into it. I can see that you haven’t been affected by the recovery period. As for Plinto, where is he?”

  “He signed off into reality as soon as he got the chance.”

  “I’ve never seen him move so fast before. He was darting among the phantoms as if he had become the wind—as if he was something weightless and impalpable. I suspect that the activation passes when the player exceeds his ordinary bounds and limits. I for example tried pretty hard, but definitely not with all my strength, trying to keep Plinto at least at 60% Hit Points. Maybe this is why the recovery didn’t make me lose consciousness.”

  “All right, no matter. I’ll ask Geyra about. She seems to know something.”

  “Geyra?”

  “The NPC who’s in charge of the squad we crashed into. It was her people who pulled you and Plinto out, so we’ll have to speak to her anyway, if anything, to say thanks…and find out why she’s so desperate to get into the castle, as well as how she intends on getting inside. However, the bit about why the group didn’t get the experience is really curious to me. If you recall, in Beatwick all of us received the experience, but here…”

  “I’m looking into it now. Don owes me anyway, and I don’t think that an answer to my question will violate any NDAs he’s signed. Dan, I’m going to sign out to reality too, okay? That recovery, if I’m honest, was a pretty hefty experience. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt anything like that.”

  “Okay,” I shrugged. “I’ll see what I can learn here in the meantime. Have a nice rest.”

  “I see you’ve broken through after all,” said Undigit, approaching me and regarding with me the row taking place between the Captain and Geyra. Judging by how the girl was flailing her arms, their argument was no joke. It was too bad that the NPCs had cast a muting dome over them that blocked all sound—I for one would have been very interested in hearing what they were saying.

  “As you see,” I shrugged. “What do you want?”

  “To make a deal, what else?” smirked the head of the Azure Dragons. “As I understand it, this is the castle that the Emperor has granted you, and yet you have no one to actually capture it with. You could of course call in Phoenix, but that would be far too much for us. We don’t intend on letting anyone else reach this place. Nor will Phoenix hazard a war over a place that belongs to you—they’d stand too much to lose. It follows that you find yourself in an unfavorable position. And yet, we are ready to accommodate you and grant your raiding party unrestricted passage to the phantoms. There are plenty of them, so there should be enough XP for both clans.”

  “How very generous of you,” I couldn’t restrain my sarcasm. “And what are your conditions?”

  “As long as the castle allows us to level up at an accelerated pace, you refrain from capturing it. That is, nominally it belongs to you, but in fact it belongs to all of us. We can set a further condition—if in the next, say, three months, the situation doesn’t change, we will depart.”

  “Uh-huh. By that point the entire Azure Dragons clan will gain another 340 Levels and the XP from the phantoms you slay won’t have any effect anyway.”

  “It’s nice to see that we understand each other so well. Shall we make a deal?”

  “What happens if I decline?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Nothing?”

  “Nothing good for you or for your clan. Mahan, I like you quite a bit, but the reality here is such that we simply must keep our competitors away. The clan competition is in three months, so we will fight tooth and nail for any opportunity to take first place. If your clan stands in our way, we will scatter it aside without even considering the consequences. I repeat—we are prepared to allow you to enjoy the bonuses this castle offers, under only one condition—you make no attempt to capture it. If you don’t agree, the war continues. And I strongly advise you against relying too much on that immunity from player damage that you got. Trust me, it’s much easier to prohibit you from being here than to waste energy sending you to respawn.”

  “You’d oppose the will of the Emperor?” I raised an eyebrow in surprise.

  “Me—no. My clan—neither. But Narlak is not directly under the Emperor’s authority. It’s an independent city of the Free Lands and the wills of the Emperor or the Dark Lord aren’t binding. While you endeavor to prove that dogs don’t climb trees, those three months will elapse. Deal?”

  “I need to discuss this with my clan,” I replied, doing my best to keep my voice neutral. At this moment I had no secret trump to play, aside from the Guardian’s decision, so I had to speak with Stacey first. And Plinto too could offer some useful advice here.

  But I did know one thing for sure—I had no intention on agreeing to Undigit’s demands, which meant that the Legends of Barliona remained at war with the Azure Dragons. Perhaps it wasn’t in the open yet, but it was inevitable. And somehow I wasn’t particularly worried that there were only 133 of us, including gatherers, while the Azure Dragons had around ten thousand fighters at their disposal. I wasn’t about to bend over.

  “Discuss it, there’s no rush. Will a day suffice? I think it will. I’ll be waiting for an answer in 24 hours. If it doesn’t come, we’ll assume that you’ve refused. And in that case, we will begin to take action.”

  “Captain! Permit me to clarify an issue,” I addressed the leader of the garrison as soon as the head of the Azure Dragons had left.

  “Earl?”

  “Tell me, as the owner, may I forbid trespassers on my property? What do I need to do that?”

  “You may. To do so, you will need permission from the Narlak Council. This territory falls under its jurisdiction. As soon as you obtain the decree, no Free Citizen will be allowed within 500 meters of the castle without your permission.”

  “Thank you. I will make the relevant inquiries. One more question. Who is Geyra? As I understood it, she is not under your command, and she’s clearly not a mercenary of the Azure Dragons and…”

  “I understand your question,” the captain interrupted me. “Geyra is one of the survivors of the Glarnis garrison, which Urusai destroyed. She had been undergoing training with the Imperial troops and when she heard about what had happened, she hurried here with the permission of the Council.”

  “Urusai? The name of the castle is Altameda,” I corrected the captain.

  “Perhaps, but my information says otherwise. In any case, the name is not important. If you wish to decide who is allowed in the vicinity of the castle, you will have to obtain permission from the Narlak Council. Please excuse me, the phantoms are beginning another attack.”

  Oka-ay…Undigit wouldn’t be as confident as he is without good reason. If the Narlak Council is on the take from the Azure Dragons, then no one will be able to approach Altameda—the security cordon will immediately take the trespassers to prison. This means that the only thing that’ll work is a massive assault with the full recognition that the attackers will earn Hatred with Narlak. Phoenix would not be okay with this, but I happen to know someone who might!

  “Speaking!” The familiar voice sounded in my amulet.

  “Evolett, this is Mahan. I won’t beat around the bush and get straight to the point—if I need several thousand of your men for three months, will you be able to assist me?”

  “Eh,” was the only response, so with a smile I went on:

  “Okay, let me provide you some more detail…”

  I related to Anastaria’s uncle the full and unvarnished story about the grinding opportunity I had discovered and about my conflict with the Azure Dragons. Unlike Phoenix, the Dark Legion had absolutely no interests in this city. In any case, the Malabar Governor was in Narlak and the Mayor had made no mention of any Kartossian officials. If I find a way to exert pressure on the Council, then Evolett and his people would come in very handy. I was confident that Hatred with Narlak wouldn’t dissuade him from dislodging Undigit from Altam
eda.

  “What are your conditions?” Evolett immediately latched onto an opportunity to level up his people.

  “I don’t need any conflicts between our fighters. There’s enough phantoms here for everyone. I need protection and the complete annihilation of all the players currently buzzing around my castle.”

  “Accepted. Anything else?”

  “The phantoms may drop something pretty valuable. I see no point in asking you to show it to me or hand it over, so whatever loot the players drop is yours.”

  “That’s reasonable.”

  “And another thing—I propose an alliance. I’m certain that the Emperor and the Dark Lord will like the idea—two clans from opposing factions working together. Besides, I’ll need experienced fighters for the Eye of the Dark Widow quest.”

  “You haven’t returned it yet?” Evolett asked, betraying his curiosity.

  “We agreed that we would do that quest together. I’m not going back on my word.”

  “My lawyers will draw up a contract and send it to Leite, Barsina and Anastaria. Aren’t they the ones in charge of your bureaucracy?”

  “I see you are well informed about the inner workings of my clan,” I couldn’t help restrain a wry observation.

  “The world is full of rumor, Mahan.” Even through the amulet, I could sense that Evolett was very satisfied with the impression he had made on me. “As soon as we sign the agreement, you can count on three thousand fighters. Although, my advice that you try to strike some kind of deal with Narlak. The Azures are numerous, but I will invite some mercenaries, so we should be able to dislodge them. The guards, whatever their numbers, aren’t a problem either. But I’d prefer not to ruin my relations with the city. So do your best to solve that issue. My people will be at your disposal once you guarantee that the guards won’t attack them. We’ll add that to the contract too.”

  “It’s a deal. If I may ask an unrelated question—tell me, have you solved the Geranika’s Dagger quest yet?”

  “Not yet, but it seems to me that we’ll complete that quest in the next week or two. The Dungeon’s been located and all that’s left is two bosses, including the last one, so it’s in the bag. Any news from Phoenix? Have they killed their second boss?”

  “Unfortunately, I don’t know. They definitely found the Dungeon, but about the bosses…”

  “Okay, no matter. I’ll ask Ehkiller tonight. Is that it?”

  “Yes, I think…Although, how are things over there in Kartoss? Any regrets about the switch?”

  “There’s no time for regrets. New quests, new skills, new Dungeons. It’s like finding oneself in some novel fairy tale where every shrub conceals something miraculous and wondrous. This really is paradise for exploration and my fighters remain in-game for weeks on end, trying to be the first in everything. By the way, I have an invitation to a ball in honor of the marriage of one of our Counts with a girl from Malabar. The invitation is for two…Do you want to bring Stacey with you in a week or two for a visit? You can check out our palace and compare it with the imperial one. Trust me, it’s worth taking the time out to do it. Naturally, I’d guarantee your safety.”

  “Have you told Stacey already?” I immediately countered.

  “Not yet. I was planning on inviting her at the beginning of next week, but since you called first…”

  “I’m into it then, but with one request—don’t tell her anything. I’d rather surprise her.”

  “That works. Then let’s summarize—I owe you a contract and you owe me an arrangement with the local authorities that we may enter the area in question, as well as coordinates in case you need our assistance.”

  “Agreed. In that case, I’ll talk to you later. I’ll go start working on the paperwork.”

  “May I sit here?” a pleasant female voice jolted me from my contemplation of being and the meaning of life. Try as hard as I might to invent some intelligent plan of action in regards to the Narlak Council, the result that came to mind always ended in the same thing: Raze the city to its foundations and forget about the Council as an entity.

  “Have a seat, Geyra,” I waved my hand, inviting the girl. “Tell me, how may I help you?”

  “It seems to me that it is I who could help you,” the girl smiled, taking a seat on the ground. “No doubt you, as the new owner of Urusai, have some questions. I’ve come to answer them.”

  “The castle is called Altameda,” I said, but the girl’s eyes revealed not even a spark of comprehension, so I added, “but no matter. I already know the reason for why you want to destroy the phantoms, but I don’t understand how you intend on entering the castle very well. The Emperor told me that only the owner may do so.”

  “Perhaps he was speaking only about Free Citizens, since any one of my warriors may enter the castle freely. The only difficulty is to fight our way through.”

  “Okay, let’s leave that issue for later. Tell me, why do you want to get inside?”

  “It is too late to bring back my relatives, but somewhere in that castle there must be an item that is causing the phantoms to respawn. And causing the castle to shift from location to location. I wish to destroy it.”

  “This castle was cursed many centuries ago by the Dark Lord. This is why it shifts from place to place and why the phantoms find no peace. There are no items in it.”

  “There is no such power in all of Barliona, besides perhaps the Creator, that is capable of casting such a curse,” Geyra replied, a little fanatically. “With time, the curse would have exhausted itself, which means it has some wellspring.”

  “There is indeed a wellspring,” I assured the girl. “Inside that creation,” I waved my hand in the direction of Altameda, “there is a monster that has taken the phantoms captives. It is this monster that sends them forth and it is he that is responsible for having the castle fall on top of Glarnis. It’s not an item that must be destroyed. It’s a monster. If you help me take care of him, your city will be avenged.”

  “Are you sure?” asked the girl incredulously.

  “This is exactly what the Emperor and the Dark Lord told me and I have no reason to distrust them,” I replied, leaving myself a way out just in case.

  “In that case…” Geyra hesitated for a moment but then jumped to her feet and proclaimed: “Earl Mahan! I request that you accept my people and me into your service! So long as the monster inhabits Castle Urusai, our swords are yours to brandish as you will!”

  Geyra’s Squad, comprising 30 Warriors, 5 Priests and 3 Mages, wishes to join your clan until Altameda is captured. Do you accept?

  “What are the terms of your entry into my clan?” Despite my wild desire to push the ‘Accept’ button, I decided to do my due diligence. Having prior, unfortunate experience hiring a work team, I was well aware that a free piece of cheese only appears in a mousetrap, and even then only for the second mouse.

  “We will provide our own nourishment, we demand no salary, nor do we participate in your conflicts with Free Citizens,” Geyra replied in a formal tone. “We help you only to destroy the monster in the castle and nothing more. There are no further obligations from you. All of the experience we earn shall be converted either to clan points or, if you so wish it, to points for upgrading the castle. All of the loot that we earn during our time working for you, is split between us and you.”

  “Is that all?”

  “No. The death of every fighter is my responsibility exclusively, so I will pay the clan ten to fifty thousand gold, depending on the rank of the fallen, as compensation. If I die, the money will be transferred to you by the bank. I will take care of this issue this instant.”

  Why, this was simply unheard of! I was overwhelmed with a feeling that something about this was off! Fairy tale presents like this from the developers simply don’t happen! They just don’t, and full stop.

  “What about leadership?”

  “Your orders are my orders. I make no decisions on my own. My people and I shall perform all assignments related to
destroying the monster inhabiting the castle without a single objection.”

  “What will you do if the Emperor’s and the Dark Lord’s words about the monster turn out to be false?”

  “Call on your Emperor to attest to the veracity of his words and this issue will be resolved. If it turns out that there is no monster in the castle, it won’t be your fault.”

  “In that case, I accept you and your people into my service,” I said, pushing the ‘Accept’ button and unwittingly hunching my shoulders around my head in expectation of some explosion.

  Clan achievement gained: ‘Fairy Tale Mercenaries.’ Hire a squad of NPCs with no fewer than 30 members of Level 200 or higher.

  “A fine time to spend our assets,” responded Leite. “We’ve got no money as it is and he’s hiring NPCs…We’ll be left to wander the world penniless!”

  “What, you don’t know our miser? I bet the NPCs paid extra just to join us!” Clutzer did not leave the turn of events without comment. “This is Mahan we’re talking about! Why, you couldn’t beg him for some snow in winter—forget outlays on mercenaries!”

  “We shall be ready by tomorrow morning,” Geyra assured me. “The phantoms that were destroyed today won’t yet be able to respawn by that time. If you have no need of me, I will go see to the repairs. Today’s attack has worn down many of our items.”

  See to the repairs…

  I glanced at my items and grinned—aside from the chain that I had never gotten around to repairing, all of my other equipment was in perfect condition. I don’t even know how I’ll increase my Crafting skill. It was looking like I’d not get much use out of it after all. As for the 6 points I’d already sunk into it—why that was small change. As they say, the first time doesn’t count.

  The ringing of the amulet tore me away from the very serious activity of doing nothing. I saw no point in going to Narlak without Stacey, nor in leaving this safe zone around the castle, so I simply sat watching the guards duke it out with the phantoms, thinking about nothing at all. To my immense surprise, I was quite good at this.